The Kalalau Trail. One of America’s most death defying and famous trails. The Kalalau Trail is a trail along Nā Pali Coast of the Island of Kauai in the state of Hawaii. The trail runs approximately 11 miles (22 miles round trip) along the Island’s North Shore from Keʻe Beach to the Kalalau Valley. The trail has been named one of the most beautiful, and dangerous, hikes of the United States and is definitely the most beautiful hike on Kauai, Hawaii.
In this post, I’m going to cover things we did that worked well and things we would change should we do it again. If anything I hope this post better prepares you for the Kalalau trail. Please keep in mind I am no hiking expert, just sharing my overall experience. Please continue to do your own research to get more information and safety precautions.
Things to keep in mind when hiking the Kalalau Trail.
It is technical, long and you need to be prepared.
I will say that Andrew (my husband) and I hiked this trail with no previous backpacking experience. But we have hiked long trails with a good amount of elevation and we workout basically every day. So we weren’t just like coming off the couch and hiking this trail if you know what I mean 🙂 First thing I would have done differently would be to do a test pack and hike. Pack up your backpack as if you were going out on the trail and go on a hike about the same distance to see how you feel. Is there anything in your pack you can get rid of? How can you distribute the weight better?
Here is my non-expert opinion…
Pack as light and minimal as possible. We definitely packed far too much and our packs were HEA-VY.
- Cooking and eating supplies. Jet Fuel for cooking and dried foods. We brought freeze dried food from Mountain Warehouse.
- 1 bathing suit for going in the water – be aware of currents. A good rule of thumb is to not go in water above your waist. The ocean along the Nepali Coast is known for huge waves and insane currents. When you swim here, you’ll want to swim at your own risk because there of course aren’t lifeguards along the Kalalau Trail who are going to come rescue you if something goes wrong.
- Hiking + day clothes. This can vary per person but just keep in mind that your hiking clothes will most likely get wet and muddy. Bring 2-3 sets of clothes if you’re doing one over night as you’ll want to be as comfy as you can for bedtime and then probably won’t want to wear your muddy clothes the next day.
- Hiking Poles. Andrew and I each had one pole and I found this SOOOOOOO helpful. My hiking pole helped me when I was exhausted, slipping and helped with balance when walking on a ledge.
The Best Time of Year to Hike The Kalalau Trail
Kauai is the rainiest island of all the Hawaiian Islands which is why it is the most beautiful and lush. But when you’re hiking this is something to really keep in mind. Kauai’s rainy season is December – March.
So the best time to hike the Kalalau trail is going to be from March to December but of course, you can go year round just be careful of weather and do your own research!
***Andrew and I went hiking on November 4th, 2021 and there was actually flash flooding that day and the trail ended up closing (after we were already on it-ek). This wasn’t even rainy season ~technically~ so it’s just something to keep in mind!
Now let’s dive into the ~technical~ parts of the hike. I’m just going to walk you through the hike. Starting from mile 0, at the beginning.
The first 2 miles are pretty basic
some incline but at mile two you will hit the first stream. **A good rule of thumb for crossing the streams are if the water is above your knees, don’t cross.
Miles 2-6 are not bad.
There’s a ton of uphill but this is where you start to see some views along the Napali Coast. There is an epic lookout around mile 5 if I’m not mistaken.
Miles 7-8.5ish were ROUGH.
Okay so I’m going to break this area down for you because I honestly thought these were the most insane parts of the hike.
So about mile 7. is “Crawlers Ledge”
Some consider Crawlers Ledge to be the scariest and hardest part of the hike. Though yes, you’re walking on a ledge, there is a rock wall you can put your hand on to help guide you and keep balance. Also, I found the footing for this part very solid. If you are afraid of heights, like me, I would reccomend bringing a hiking pole. It helps with the entire trail, but also helps with balance on the sketchier parts of this hike such as crawlers ledge.
I found the parts leading up to crawlers ledge to be sketchier and harder, personally. Now, this might have to do with the fact that it was rainy when we were hiking this but I think this part is important to note! Before you reach crawlers ledge, you traverse downhill on a dirt part of the mountain. If it was raining before you hiked or while you’re hiking this part becomes INSANELY muddy and slippery. So just be aware of your surroundings.
Mile 8 onward
Once you clear crawlers ledge, I found it relatively smooth. Mile 10 is like an oh my gosh we are so close moment. You can see the beach, the views are STUNNING and you’re out in the open for the rest of the hike.
Once you reach the beach, choose a spot, set up and enjoy. Be PROUD of what you’ve just accomplished!
I hope you found this guide helpful!! Let me know by commenting below or by messaging me on Instagram @christy_barre.
