Kalalau Trail-Which way?
 

When we hike a portion or the Kalalau Trail will we know which way to go to head to the falls?

And, do I have to pack a lunch, or will someplace in Hanalei do it for me?

And another thing, how long will it take to do the hike to the falls and have lunch while there? I'm guessing 5-6 hours..yea or nay?

once you are at the beach, walk towards east toward the trees and you'll find the trail to the falls. definitely pack your own lunch, bring plenty of water and start early! i started around 7:30am and was done by 1:30ish, so 6 hours is about right.

btw, have you decided which shoes to wear yet? ;-) i just bought a pair of Keen H20 sport sandals that i'm going to try hiking in at Yosemite next month. they're really comfy...

have fun!

you know what guimbymoy, I think I am just going to wear my hiking shoes.

I tried on a pair of Keen H20 sports, and they weren't comfy to me..The real icee tried them on and like them...Same, he just ordered us some Bite Sandals..really cool looking and comfy as soon as I put them on, but after about 15 mins..they hurt..now for him, he loves them.

btw, you may want to bring a pair of sport sandals on this hike anyways. if you are going to the falls, there were a couple of stream crossings. i changed my boots to sandals when i got to them. messy but a gorgeous hike! the bamboo grove was really neat.

I do have a pair of Merrell's that I love. Maybe they will work, or maybe I will get lucky and find some before or when I get there.

ttt

quimbymoy, those Keen's H2's may just be more comfortable than I thought. Found them today in Cabela's Bargain Cave (they only had 3 sizes and mine was one of them) for only $49.95..For half price they might wear well after all!!!

wow that is a really great price! i got mine using my REI dividend (a measly $7) and then using their annual 20% coupon on top of it and i thought $67 wss good!

did you get those on-line?

yes, guimbymoy, only women's were on sale in cabela's bargain cave. They just had sizes 6, 6 1/2 and 8, I think. The men's weren't on sale.

I believe I saw the men's and women's for like $51 at sierra trading post in their sale stuff.

Just looked and there are sizes 6, 8 & 8 1/2...glad I wear the 6! The only color is periwinkle, but for $49..I'll take it!

alohaaaaa,
I'2....one tip...get at the trailhead as early as possible...one,so you can get a good and safe parking spot and, two, so you don't have to rush and you can enjoy every step of the way.

Dunno about hiking it in Keen's H2O's tho.
I love my Keens but that sole is too smooth...I hike in my Chaco sandals that have the big, thick lug soles, like you'd find on some hiking boots...especially if the NaPali is a bit muddy after a rain or 3.

We just bought a sandwich at Safeway and brought it along.

Did Cabela's have 13 EEEEs? :-?

Kal, I'm just going to hike in my regular hiking shoes..and take the Keen H2's or my Merrell's for round and about and other stuff.

Just couldn't pass up the $49.95 deal! I bet when you find the 13EEEE, they will be lots more than just a $50 bill!

Now when you say get there early, just how early...8 ish 9ish?

What other trails do you recommend? Nothing extremely strenuous, please.

i would definitely start before 9. at 7:30 there were only 3 cars in the lot, one being mine. the earlier you start the better to beat the afternoon heat... and the crowds.

sorry i can't remember the hike i took at waimea canyon. i was so sore from this kalalau trail the day before that i only went on light hikes at waimea. the issue i had at waimea was that i didn't have a 4WD vehicle so i couldn't get to the trailhead at most trails. i hooked up with a guy with a jeep and he drove us to the start of a trail that wasn't too hard - i remember it having sweeping views of the canyon. if you don't have a 4WD you would have to walk an extra mile to the trailhead. more walking than i had the energy for. ;-)

oo, i should go to cabela's - i'm a 6-1/2!!

tina

sorry, tina, it was 6,8 & 8 1/2

but they did have the leather uppers, not the H2's..didn't check the sizes on them

thanks for the tip anyways. once i find a pair of shoes i like, i like to buy more than one! i envision wearing out these sandals this summer.

btw, i don't know if you have seen this book "hiking kauai" by robert smith. it has descriptions of all the trails in kauai. for some "not so serious" hiking, there are some trails on nounou, the sleeping giant that don't seem too hard. there were a lot of trails i wanted to go on, but i was traveling alone and didn't feel comfortable hiking alone, so it was mostly sightseeing for me.

send me a private e-mail if you want more details on some trails.
tina

hi i2.. This is a great trail and most of it you really have no option but one trail, as it hugs the side of those amazing napali sea cliffs cutting in and out of the ridges. You will then descended down to the beach. This is a great place for lunch (please pack out what you pack in of course!)
yeh..be sure to bring plenty water and start early. that way the sun and crowds are not too much (not that i've really seen any actual crowds on the trail:o). Took us about an hour each way to and from the falls. There are a few gorgeous stream crossings and a bit of a rock-side scramble as you approach the falls. Be careful if the stream seems really burly and it is raining inland as floods are possible here, but otherwise this hike is awesome.

I'2,

I'd rec a hike up the back side of The Sleeping Giant.

The first 5-10 mins of the hike up the back side is very "aerobic" but after that, it's a mostly switchbacks.

And when you get to the VERY top of his noggin, you'll be rewarded with a 360 degree view of the entire CocoCoast as well as Mt Wally, Wailua River Valley, King Kong etc.

Takes about 45 mins going up the back side.
Picnic table at a rest stop near Da Big Guy's chest, too.

As for getting up to NaPali, go as early as poss and have b'fast at a certain cafe in Hanalei that Auntie M get's mad at me for recc'ing...but it will "wake you up" :S- before that beautiful hike.

Hey Kal, where does the hike up The Sleeping Giant begin? Can an old fart like me make it in comfort?

I'd like to do the 2 miles out and 2 miles back to the waterfalls on the Kalalau Trail. How strenuous is this hike -- I'm concerned about iceeu2. ((a)) ((b))

Hey, Budman and iceeu2, if you all make it, then I guess we'll do it, too. I don't think you'll have time to do a trip report before we get there, though (don't you all leave the island the day we get there?) so I'll guess we'll have to compare notes when we get home.

One of our daughters is definitely not a hiker, but I'm hoping she'll enjoy this, anyway!

Another question: Can you swim once you get to the falls, or are the falls something you just view from a distance?

And the advice was to pack a lunch, but where is a good place to pick up a picnic lunch on the way? I think we'll be getting there pretty early (8 or 9 a.m.). Do we need to get our lunch the night before?

Thanks for your concern, Bman..I had to laugh out loud at that comment. I guess you think this little fat southern girl can't get into any aerobics, do you.

Little/fat...should be short/stout, or perhaps just undertall!

Samsaf, when do you leave for Hawaii? I may be able to get a few snippets in before you go.

LOL -- I thought you'd get a kick out of that. ((a)) ((b))

We leave Atlanta on June 4, return on June 12

Samsaf, I'll certainly try to get something to you before June 4th..if not by then, it will definitely be later as the weekend you are returning, I will be at Big Canoe yukking it up with my old college buds.
It's our annual GWO (girls weekend out)!

Bman, did you see the maps I posted the link to on another thread? If not, go to driveguidemagazines.com

These are killer maps.

No, I haven't looked at them yet, but have them bookmarked. Since this is our first trip to Kauai, I'm looking at and saving almost everything -- feel like I'm getting information overload. So many places/things to do, so little time. ((b))

I hiked the whole trail last June in Keens. They were great. The trail was in the worst condition ever(this was my 5th time). Running water on the first 2 miles and plant overgrowth over much of the trail after that. I will use them again this year. I usually hike it in tennis shoes, but these were much better with all the mud and perfect for the stream crossings.

Well, I'm going to do the hike in my hiking shoes...I may even throw the old ugly boots in (depends on how many pairs of cute shoes I already have).

But, back to the Keens...I got my new Keen Newport H2's and absolutely love them. I have worn them all weekend. I raved about them so much, that we had to get online and find a pair for the real icee...Well, we found a store near us and wala, they even discounted them down to $69...What a deal. They offered to ship them for free, but he needed them NOW, so we got in the car in the pouring rain and drove 40 miles one way for them! Oh well, that's the price you pay for living in the country!

Bon,
What model of Keen do you have?
-Bill

hi iceeu2

i just got another pair of keens over the weekend. these are called taos. they are like the h20s ex. this has a back to the shoe and it has a better tread on the bottom, which may be better for a trail like the kalalau.

http://www.zappos.com/n/pair_image.c...color_id=31472

i didn't get them at zappos but at a von maur department store on sale for $67.

tina

re: sleeping giant & hanakapi'ai hikes.
I am somewhat afraid of heights but oddly enough it was on sleeping giant trail that this was a problem for me. (i am a fit 33 year old). After suffering from heat fatigue from the hike up(it can be really blazing on this trail..bring lotsa h2o) we got to a beautiful shady picnic area and rested for a few minutes. This overlook is very nice..but not the payoff, i think. The trail that continued to get up to the peak overlook was so intense that i ended up clinging to the rocky precipitous cliffside fighting tears while my height loving husband scrambled the rest of the way to check out the view., which he said was indeed marvelous. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience, or if i am just a total chicken!
The hanakapi'ai trail, however challenging the heights were, seemed somewhat easier in that regard to me..and the payoff immeasurably more awesome. total magic and mana! The waterfall is great and you can swim right into the big pool underneath. However..extreme caution is urged because, as with any falls of this height, damage to you from falling rocks is a real hazard.

Please, please, please do your research and understand the possible hazards associated with the Kalalau Trail! Last week my wife and I had to hike the 2 miles back out from Hanakapi'ai beach to get emergency medical help for a girl that hiked there with a known heart problem. (there is no cell service much past Haena Beach) Not only was she on new medication but she and her friend were out of food and water when we found them. Emergency crews ended up having to dispatch a Zodiac and a jetski from Hanalei to bring her out to a waiting ambulance at Ke'e beach. The surf was too rough for a beach landing so they had to tow her and a rescue worker on and off the beaches behind the jetski. This is a great hike but it requires some common sense preparation and a respect for the ruggedness of the terrain. Fortunately she got help in time but not without putting a lot of people at risk. Understand and prepare for the hazards and you'll enjoy fond memories of one of the best hikes you'll ever experience!

iceeu2, are you reconsidering taking this Trail? As much as I would like to hike the sleeping giant trail, I don't think I would want to put Mrs. Budman thru it.

You'll have to let me know about the Kalalau when we GTG. I'm think the 2 miles to/from the falls should be OK as long as I bring lunch/water and stop for a short swim. ((b))

according to "hiking kauai" by robert smith, the kalalau trail from ke'e beach to hanakapa'ai beach is rated as "hardy family" with a 600 foot elevation change, whereas the spur to the falls is "strenuous" with an 800 foot elevation change. i remember the hike as being pretty challenging, not as hard as the hiking i did at the grand canyon, but very "aerobic" with ups & downs.

there are 3 hikes on nounou: east side trail (2 miles, 1250' elevation gain, "hardy family", west side trail (1.5 miles, 1000' elevation gain "hardy family" - not as steep as east side trail & more shade), & kuamoo-nounou trail (1.8 miles, hardy family)

hope that helps. i would also caution about swimming at the falls or beaches. the day i did the hike, someone at ke'e beach drowned when a riptide pulled him under. there are lots of posted signs and they should not be ignored.

tm

Bman, will let you know at the GTG about the trails. We do plan to hike the Kalalau and a few others...will just have to see how far we make it.

As for the person with the known heart condition. Not sure why she did that, but I guess if ya gotta go sometime that's as close to heaven as you can get.

Will check out some hikes now and post what others we possibly will do.

i2

dfarr.. wow, how intense. Not to mention ouch for yourself..that part of the hike takes alot of aerobic work even at a leisurely pace and whoo the technical work on the root beds and stream lines. She's lucky you guys came along in time, fer sure. I second your opinion to be prepared and knowledgable about where you are and about your own possible physical limitations and how much you should push them. Did you find your way back to do the hike up the stream (ugh, i dunno if i would have)?! It is such a beautiful hike.
An aside to hiking advocates and afficionados, if the stream is even slightly gnarly..Use your brain and consider not doing the hike, folks..it gets really wet and slippery (a few stream crossings here) at the very least and clinging to the wet rocks to save your wet okole is only a few nuts idea of fun! The falls are big even when the stream is low. That book, hiking kauai, is a really good one, i've found. i read and reread the kalalalu entry like 3000 times befire getting the courage to make the hike(i am moderately height phobic). i think we took the tougher trail on sleeping giant. At least the one with not much shade.

sea_wahine....Unfortunatly no we didn't make it back this time. By the time we were sure she was safe it was mid-afternoon and we were beat. Our plan was to return at least to the bamboo grove where we carved our names on ourlast trip which was our 30th aniversary and vowed to return to do it again. I guess we'll just have to go back again! For those with questions about Sleeping Giant trail, we did the east trail one morning and enjoyed it. I advise you to start early beacause most of the first part of the trail is in direct sun and the heat seemed to just radiate off the trail. (seemed very dry and deserty compared to Kalalau) We also did the hike at the end of the Waimea Canyon road out to the point it intersects with the swamp trail. We were lucky enough to have perfectly clear views all the way out but on the way back it was entirely fogged in. Try to get there by 9-10 am and your chances are much better to have clear views.

dfarr.. that is so romantic(initials in the hanakapia'i bamboo). I remember noticing some etching on those the few times we've done that hike. Have you folks been to maui? The hike just south of hana to the falls above the ohe'o pools goes through an even grander bamboo forest. Knocked my socks off. The trail is very easy compared to the 3 we've discussed..but just gorgeous and a lovely waterfall at the end, of course.
Was the koke'e trail you took the pihea one? We did that and thought it was fabulous! We had the same experience with the weather fine and dandy on the way on and real socked in on the way out. Got very muddy and turned back after the trail seemed to be turning into a swamp!
I was amazed by the bird songs that fill the air from the alaka'i marsh on this trail. Hope your next anniversary trip comes up soon..aloha!

ttt for SloPugs

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