The Kalalau Trail in Kauai is recognized as one of the most beautiful hikes in the world. This 22-mile round trip hike takes you across the rugged and untouched Napali coast. Along the trail, you’ll come across spotless beaches, impressive cliffs, colossal mountains, and jaw-dropping waterfalls. But all of this beauty comes at a cost, considering it has been called one of the most dangerous trails in the United States.
The trail ends at Kalalau beach, which is one of the most stunning sights you could ever imagine. Personally, the entire experience of hiking this trail changed my life. As a word of caution, I recommend that you do intense training before attempting. You also need to register online and have a valid camping permit well in advance.
The Magic Of The Trail
I packed a forty-pound camping backpack and got a reservation for the shuttle to Haena State Park, where the trailhead is located. I was incredibly excited for the journey ahead. Everyone has a different strategy for tackling the Kalalau, but mine was to do the 11 miles to Kalalau Beach in seven hours.
So after arriving at Haena I went to Ke’e Beach in the evening and I set up a tent in the woods there near a stream. I set my alarm for 5:30 AM and fell asleep to the faint sounds of crashing waves.
The next morning I woke up and hit the trailhead. Before the start of the trail you can see Makana Mountain also known as Bali Ha’i. In ancient Hawaii, this was the place where they would have the magnificent Ohai fire ceremony. This was a special ceremony performed to celebrate special occasions like students’ graduations or a high chief’s visit.
bali hai
The skilled fire throwers would climb the peak of the mountain at 1,115 feet and hurl flame torched spears off towards the ocean. This was their sort of version of a fireworks display for special occasions.
Biting Off More Than I Could Chew
The trail was unique in that it bends in and out of several valleys. You’ll be walking along the coast and then you bend into the jungle and back out several times, all the while changing in elevation. In total, the 22-mile round trip has a combined elevation gain of around 10,000 feet.
As I trekked deeper onto the trail, it soon became apparent that this was going to be much more difficult than I anticipated. After all, I am not an experienced hiker but I am in good shape. However, right around mile four I really started to feel the pressure from the weight of my backpack. I took breaks every so often to give my body some rest, but if you stay still for too long you will soon have mosquitos making their move on you.
However, the challenging parts of the hike were completely counteracted by the beauty that surrounded me. In addition to the spectacular scenery, I enjoyed the smell of ripe guavas and the indescribable smell of the tropical rainforest.
I picked several guavas and java plum off trees along the hike and ate them as I roamed forward. I did not have to deal with any rain (which you do not want on this trail) and I was blessed with sunny weather around 70 to 75 degrees the entire time.
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As I continued forward, right around mile six I was truly exhausted. I’ve always considered myself fit and I work out regularly — but this was on a different level. I was not fully prepared for this hike, and my forty-pound bag felt more like sixty pounds after going up and down elevations and weaving in and out of valleys.
The Drop
It was at this point in my hike where I had a brief thought to just go back. I had reached a small stream where I took some time to rest on a rock and eat two cliff bars. I had a huge decision to make, would I go back to the trailhead at Haena or would I journey on and get to Kalalau Beach?
The game-changer was that I was at mile six, I was over halfway there. At that point, I made a bold decision: I would drop my heavy backpack off to the side of the trail (carefully marked), continue to the beach, and return to camp at mile six. It was only about noon so I figured I would have the time to execute all of this.
I took off my backpack and moved forward with nothing but a walking stick, water, a pocket knife, cell phone, and my GoPro. One thing I was not aware of was that I was about to head to an area of the trail known as Crawlers Ledge. This starts right around mile seven and consists of a section of switchbacks that can be very treacherous. There are steep cliffs along this stretch — a misstep here could be fatal.
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Although this area can be scary, the best views come from the hardest climbs. I was moving very quickly now that I wasn’t burdened with a large backpack. At mile eight I met another hiker my age who was from Colorado named Tom, but he said everyone called him “Wetsuit Tom.”
He told me he was with his two friends who were ahead of him, and we agreed to hike to the beach together. Tom told me that he and his two friends were fully prepared with gear and that they intended on staying out there two nights. I told him my plans of going to the beach and then heading back to get my backpack. He offered to let me sleep on his extra insulated matt and that I could hang with him and his friends and then return back to the trailhead in the morning.
Kalalau Beach
After what seemed like forever, Tom and I finally reached the beach. There were several other campers there and they seemed to be in great spirits. The backdrop of this beach was absolutely absurd, it looked like it was photoshopped. There is a large waterfall that everyone uses for showers and for a freshwater source. I was literally laughing, probably from a mixture of relief and shock at the steep cliffs behind the beach.
After meeting Toms two friends and helping them set up their camp, we all ventured around the beach. There are two massive caves there, one of which has a pool of water you can swim in. Someone once said Kalalau Beach is ‘the closest mankind has come to creating Eden.’ After seeing it myself, I agree.
When I felt satisfied with what I had set out to do and see, I started the 11-mile hike back to Haena the next morning. This time I saw several goats on my way back which was really special. I was able to retrieve my bag which was untouched and also eat some snacks that I had packed.
Without the bag I was agile, but now that I had it again I remembered how arduous it was. As I trudged along, I remember thinking how much harder it seemed to be on the way out. I took several breaks wherever I could, because my whole body was exhausted and depleted of energy.
There were several times where I contemplated going into the woods and camping. After several hours, I had reached mile marker three and I knew I was very close to being back. That is of course until it started raining. I mentioned how dangerous the trail is, but it isn’t because of predators – there are none. It is due to falling rocks, weather conditions that make the trail slippery, but mostly because of flash floods. There are three streams on the trail you must cross, and they can rise quickly and lead to drowning when it rains.
I was pretty terrified by the time I got to the last stream, because there was a big difference in the current this time. I had to hold my backpack above my head and cross it, now with the water up to my waist.
I managed to get across safely, but the trail was slippery and hard to walk on. Out of water, I used large leaves to collect and drink rainwater — a humbling survival moment I’ll never forget. The last three miles were really hard for me, because of my low energy and less than ideal traction. I remember becoming absolutely overcome with emotion as I neared the final half-mile of the trail. As I finally reached the trailhead and ended my journey, I felt extraordinary.
I felt a mixture of emotions; relief from exhaustion, pride in what I had done, and an area discovered that was so peaceful. In retrospect, for me it wasn’t about finishing, it was about a contract I made to myself. On so many other occasions throughout my life, I started something and didn’t finish it. I realized I had carried deep regrets from the past — mostly about the things I’d started but never finished.
When I think back to that duration of time in the valley, I had never felt that way before. It is difficult to articulate how hiking the Kalalau trail changed my life, but it did. This sacred place made me realize what real survival was, leaving the rest of my petty concerns to just slip away. It was worth every second.
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