Kauai has been under a flash flood warning all weekend with heavy rains and rising water levels at the Wailua river. This resulted in the famous Kalalau trail (one of America’s top 10 most dangerous trails) being closed today. We had been looking forward to hiking this trail, planning, preparing and training for it for weeks only to turn away disappointed at the trail with its zig zagging yellow crime scene tape with a large CLOSED sign.
Since we were all geared up and ready to hike, we decided to hike the Okolehau trail instead, which is also in the North Shore of the island. We followed the GPS through what seemed like increasingly rural areas with signs warning drivers to watch for ducks crossing the road and children playing. Here is a brief video of the drive.
We quickly skimmed through some info on a trails website which told us it was a moderate hike and figured we’d be done with it pretty fast. I don’t know who wrote the description on that site because there was nothing moderate about it.Once we got to the trailhead which is a small footbridge leading into a forest, we
Once we got to the trailhead which is a small footbridge leading into a forest, we realized this was in no way going to be easy. The trail was a slushy, muddy mess starting amidst a forest of mangrove trees with jumbled aerial roots spreading in all directions. The start is a steep incline and once we started climbing, we just kept climbing! The trail is rugged, uneven, and in large parts covered with buttress roots from the Eucalyptus trees which is supposed to help with the foothold but just makes it harder.
At about 2/3rds of the mile after much climbing we arrived at the relatively flat overlook with breathtaking views of the Hanalei Bay and the North Shore mountains.
We continued further up and the trail just got messier and messier. I almost slipped a few times despite a stick for support and decent hiking shoes.
The nice thing about this trail is it’s completely covered in foliage and is shady and cool. I felt like I was hiking through an enchanted forest. After a gruelling mud-infused climb we reached a lookout point at 1.25 miles with a lone bench for our tired bodies and were rewarded with spectacular views of the Hanalei Valley.
Some brave people had tried to go further ahead and cover the entire 2.3 mile stretch but they returned after encountering a giant poisonous spider and an increasingly dangerous path with only a rope support by the side of the mountain.
After taking in the views and hydrating I was ready to head back. I wasn’t as lucky with the return journey. I slipped and fell three times and landed on my bottom. Luckily, nothing more than my pride was hurt. But I was covered in wet mud and my feet were soaked through the shoes and socks with dirty rainwater.
Despite all the hardship, I loved this hike. It really kicked my butt. We clearly underestimated the difficulty of this trail. And with this we have now covered 3 of Kauai’s 7 best hikes in this trip. Kalalau will have to wait till summer of 2017!
Other Hawaii Hikes I recommend
- Mahaulepu Heritage Trail
- Sleeping Giant Trail
- Manoa Falls
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