sessa

I have read a great deal about the Awa'awapuhi/Nu'alolo trail on Kauai on the forum, and it seems like a must-do. I am not worried about the strenuousness of the hike since we are in good shape, but I am curious about the cliffs portion of the trail as many have said it is "scary."

Can anyone provide a little more detail on how scary it is? Is there anything to hold onto? How long does the narrow portion last? I have never considered myself afraid of heights, but who wouldn't be without a guardrail?

We are going in August and, while I really want to do the entire trail, I don't want to ruin the rest of the trip for my husband by falling off! Thanks!

evab

I am a bit of a wimp but did not get freaked out over this hike. We were there 2 years ago and I had not heard that it could be scary. When I got to the 2 or 3 spots where it was narrow, I dealt with it ok. Not like the last portion of the Angel's Landing hike at Zion. THAT would have really freaked me out!!!

I really LOVED this hike!

sessa

Good to know! As long as it isn't as scary as Angel's Landing it should be okay. I read that two hikers fell off cliffs in Zion this week (one at Angel's Landing!) so I started worrying that this hike might be too dangerous for our liking.

Bons

Sessa: There is nothing to hold onto, like the chains on Angels Landing. There is one stretch that is very narrow, & if it is dry, it should be fine, just lasts a minute or so. If it is muddy, be very careful about sliding. When I don't have time to do the whole Kalalau trail, this is my second choice. The view are spectacular!

barla

I was nervous about doing Kalalau trail on my honeymoon (in the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook a steeper, narrower trail) - I could just see the headlines: "honeymooners fall off cliff..."

We had the most amazing views and I didnt realize that we were on the narrow trail until we were almost done with that bit. Very highly recommend Kalalau for an overnighter. Take lots of water! Your trail was our second choice, but it rained the night before...

Have fun!!

madisonmichelle

I only did the Awa-awapuhi trail, but it was not scary at all. You could go as far out on the pali as you wanted at the end of the trail to look down into the valley. Perhaps the narrow part is the connection to the Nu'alolo trail?

bluefan

"Can anyone provide a little more detail on how scary it is? Is there anything to hold onto? How long does the narrow portion last? I have never considered myself afraid of heights, but who wouldn't be without a guardrail?"

There's nothing to hold onto and the narrowest portion of the Nu'alolo Cliff trail probably runs around 15yds (can't recall exactly), but it is quite manageable when it's dry and you're not clumsy-footed.

The 6th picture in this album should give you a fair idea:
http://travel.webshots.com/album/552057883ZWJdHr

The views along that trail and from Lola Vista are absolutely stunning. There are other Kauai hiking enthusiasts (like LindainOhio) that feel likewise:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35017817

LindainOhio

The one portion of the Cliffs trail that connects the Nualolo and the Awa'awapuhi is narrow--it is a very short section. You can ask about the condition of the Cliffs trail before you start hiking--a lot depends on how much rain they have had. If you get to a part of the trail that you think it is too washed away or dangerous, you can go back. Once I got through this section, I did determine that we were doing the entire trail and not going back the way we came. The Cliffs trail was non existent for a short distance and it did creep me out. We did it in Feb. on a beautiful clear day but Feb does get more rain so the trail may have been more washed away than usual. Start down the Nu'alolo though so that you can walk to Lolo Vista--it is beyond the intersection of the Nu'alolo and the Cliffs trails.

My husband did this trail in running shoes, I wore my hiking boots and we are in our 50s. We will hike it again when we return to Kauai--definitely my favorite all time hike.

sessa

Thanks to you all, this is very helpful info. I think we are definitely going to try it if the conditions are dry, starting down the Nu'alolo trail.

Bluefan-Thanks for the pic. It doesn't look as bad as I thought, but what do you do if someone is coming from the other direction?!

Songdoc

How long is the trail? Are we talking overnight?

I did the first two miles of the Kalalau trail last summer--immediately following torrential rain and it was pretty treacherous. On the way back, the ground had dried and it was soooo much easier.

We're early fifties and in pretty good shape but probably don't want to do more than 4 or 5 hours. Whaddya think?

(We'll be there in 4 weeks!!!)

sessa

The Awa'awapuhi Trail in conjunction with Nu'alolo Cliffs and Nu'alolo Trail is around 11 miles total I think so not overnight, but we are planning do start this early in the morning since we have heard that is when you get the best views.

We are planning to do the 1st two miles of the Kalalau Trail when we are there also.

We'll be there in 5 weeks!!

Songdoc

Since this trail is the same length as the Kalalau trail (11 miles) why is the Kalalau trail considered an overnight trek -- and this isn't?

I'd love to do this one ... but don't know if it'll be too much for me.

sessa

Looks like the Awa/Nua trail is just over 9 miles round trip (a little more depending on where you park your car). I believe the Kalalau trail is 11 miles ONE WAY to Kalalau Beach. We are not overnight hikers so we will just be doing the first couple of miles.

Other Fodorites who have actually done these trails--please feel free to correct me if I am mistaken!

hazelandharry

We have friends who have done this and proclaim it to be a great hike! They are both in great shape and have said this is the hike for the very best sights. Go for it and have fun.

madisonmichelle

Songdoc, if you don't want to do the entire 11 mile hike around both trails...just choose one. We just did the Awa'awapuhi trail--about 6 miles. You can park right at the trail head, and then it's a steep 3 miles down to a beautiful view point.

kealalani

Yes I've done the half hike a number of times. Hike down to overlook, have a picnic and hike back up. As with all hiking and beaches in Kauai in general be aware of conditions and use extreme caution. Respect the power of the ocean and walk gently on slippery trails lest you become wild pig food or fish food.

Have fun~

Songdoc

Thanks for your responses. I like the idea of doing only half -- about six miles -- and it sounds as if that will give us some great views.

But I'll be sure to pick a dry day

FYI, when we did the first two miles of the Kalalau trail it took us close to 4 hours! (No, we're not snails. It was just that slippery on the way in -- and I knew that day wouild be our only opportunity to do the trail on that trip.) We took pix of our scraped up, bloody legs -- but those views were worth it!

LindainOhio

We did the first couple miles of the Kalalau after the Awa'awapuhi/Nuololo--the Kalalau views were beautiful but we were totally awed with the views from our first hike. We kept comparing it to our first hike. We also enjoyed the solitude--we had the entire Aw/Nu trail to ourselves. We met up with about 5 or 6 other hikers all day. We started hiking at 10 am and finished before 5 pm but we took our time, picnicked, enjoyed the views. You do end up a couple miles from your car--some lovely people stopped and gave us a ride to the parking lot. I was quite thankful they stopped.

sessa

Linda-
Do you recall how much water you brought on the Awa/Nu hike? I am guessing there isn't a water source along the trail, right?

sea_wahine

bluefan: Thanks for those photos! They are very illustrative.