Kalalau Hiking Trail

At the end of the road on the North side of Kauai is this little general store. It's located in a small town called Haena. I went into that store once to buy a cold soda and a candy bar. It's actually the western most store in the United States. On the other side of the road from the store is the beach. The Haena general store, however, isn't the end of the road.

Another couple of miles of switchbacks, caves and beaches and I came to the very end of the road. Haena State Park. This is where the road ends but where the excitement begins.

Going into the forest is what's known as the Kalalau Trail. I decided to take the hike with a friend of mine and go all the way to Kalalau Valley. This valley can only be accessable by this trail, helicopter or boat. So with a couple days food, water and a few things like matches, extra clothes and other small items I went on.

Six miles in there's an old abandoned rangers station where we decided to spend the night. I worked plumbing so I brought a huge plastic bag from a hot water heater to sleep in. The mosquitos in the rainforest at night are very hungry and it sort of protected me. Being in a plasic bag I created my own little eco system but I didn't get eaten by the skeets. The cats that inhabited the area worked their way into my backpack and ate much of my food supply so my time was going to be limited. I took a one mile detour to the spectacular Hanakapiai waterfall and it was sure worth it. I regret not taking a camera.

In the rain I hiked for a few hours until it cleared up and by a little past noon I was at Kalalau Valley on the beach. I only stayed until my friend showed up and then decided to not spend the night on the beach because I had no more food so I spent the rest of the day hiking back to Haena State Park. I got there just after dark and drove back to Lihue where I lived.

It was a real fun hike and I'm really glad I didn't smoke cigarettes. If anyone likes the outdoors and into hiking this is definately where you want to go. Make sure you have sunblock and also an ample supply of mosquito repellent and it'll be very enjoyable. Some food and water is a good idea but remember you must pack out what you pack in. And bring a camera because only being there can give justice to the beauty of this tropical rainforest.

By the way, Haena hosted the filming of the Thornbirds. The rainforest that I hiked through also was the setting for Raiders of the Lost Arc. Actually Kauai was used to film many movies such as Jurassic Park, The Time Machine, 6 Days/7 Nights, Mighty Joe Young, Manhunt, Fantasy Island and too many more to mention. Such an ideal tropical location...no wonder.