Walking in Kihei and Kapa'a
 

Greetings, I am a walker and for health reasons do a steady one hour walk every day. Are there sidewalks in the Kihei and Kapa'a areas that would allow 2.5 miles one way, for a 5 mile r/trip? Or perhaps even something more interesting and exciting than sticking to the sidewalks? We're staying in local condos. Thanks in advance for your advice and counsel.

Great question. I think you could walk to Wailea and then do the ocean trail past all the hotels. In Kapa'a, I have never been, but I think the Pipeline trail starts somewhere in the vacinity. I bet you could get a good 5 mile in visiting Princeville area.

Good luck. and Hou'oli Makahiki Hou! Happy New Year!

Great walking in Kapa'a. Sidewalks and beachwalks. ((r))

We stayed at the Pono Kai in Kapaa a few years ago. There is a walkway between the condos and the beach, and if you follow it to the left it eventually becomes an old road that follows the shoreline. You need to cross a couple of odd spots,and you pass by a couple of back yards, but you should be able to follow a footworn trail that parallels the beach. The old road is bumpy and lumpy, but at least there are no cars. Eventually the "pavement" ends in a grassy hilly area with some trails. May be private property!

Trails ALL OVER Kauai, but you'll need to drive to them from Kapaa.

Kihei's tough, the best way is to head down to the Wailea area. The sidewalks are nice and wide thru the resorts, then you can just follow the road as you approach Makena, not much traffic. The walkway that passes among the resorts on the beach side is about 2 mi. long.

In Kihei, you can follow the coastal trail from the Kam 3 beach south to Polo beach in south Wailea. It is about 2.5 miles. You will be on trail, beach & then the beach path that runs between the beach & the Wailea hotels. I did the walk almost daily in October because it was so beautiful!

Another beautiful area to walk nearby Kihei is the Poipu area. If you park in the public lot at Shipwreck Beach (next to the Hyatt Regency) you can climb the very gentle cliff and walk your 2.5 or 3 miles--with the ocean on one side and trees, golf course, horseback riding trail area, etc on the other. If you ford a little stream (very little) and keep going, you walk along another incredible beach and then up a hill as far as you can go to the end of the cliff where private property begins. And then you can come back all along the cliff or go slightly inland through the woods in places. (We're going back soon and I can't wait!)

Take plenty of water and a granola bar..

One warning--if you spot whales while walking on the cliffs, STOP to look--otherwise you may catch your toe on a small lava protrusion (words of wisdom from experience!)

Kihei is on Maui, Poipu is on Kauai and is a 1/2 hour or so drive from Kapaa.

Oh, my, gigib, I'm slipping! Have walked Kihei and Wailea often--and Poipu on Kauai even more. Can't believe I mixed the two--especially since they are so very different.

Oh, well--need to recharge--in Kauai!

How do you say "Yes indeed!" in Hawaiian?