Hawaii is full of myths and legends – stories that are full of passion, betrayal, loyalty, birth and death. One such legend tells the tale of a giant who feasted so much at a party in his honor that he laid down for a nap and never awoke. That’s the story behind the Sleeping Giant trail in the Nounou mountain range in Kauai.
We were staying at a beautiful home in Wailua Homesteads and every morning, as I looked out the window, I would look up at the ridge from afar and with a little imagination I could make out what looks like a human figure lying on his back!
The Sleeping Giant trail is around 2.6 miles to the ‘nose’ of the giant, but the trail officially ends at just a little over 2 miles at the ‘chest’ area which has a picnic shelter from where you see vistas of the ocean coastline, as well as inland to the Wailua River and Mount Waialeale (the second wettest spot of earth).
Someone had put together a list of the 7 best hikes in Kauai and our aim was to complete at least 5 of those. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains and a flash flood warning towards the last 3 days of our stay, we were only able to do 3 of the 7 hikes. Luckily, we tackled the Sleeping Giant early in our visit.
The trail head is accessible from Halelilo Road in Wailua and has a small parking lot. We hiked up on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon, obviously not a popular day for hiking, and found only two other cars parked there.
The trail leading up the mountain top is rugged and steep. Switchback trails often keep you guessing what lies ahead of you.  There are several sections that require you to use your hands to hold on and climb up vertical rocks. If not for a sturdy stick I found at the trailhead and my trust knee brace, there is no way I could have done this hike.
We arrived in Kauai just in time for winter rains, so it was pretty much a given that any hike we were going on was bound to be muddy and slippery. This was our first hike in Kauai and I was unsure what to expect. The trail started off with a relatively dry path, and had markers every 0.25 miles. But it quickly gained elevation giving us a pretty good cardio workout. Soon enough, the rains were upon us and it got slushier and muddier by the minute!
There was this one spot about half way up, where the trail seems washed out and there is a sign that points to some rocks indicating that as the continuation of the trail. I was too nervous to take my phone out to take any pictures at this point given what lay ahead. We had no choice but to use all four limbs to climb up the red earth rocks and eventually get back to the trail.
This trail is a great way to see the east side of Kauai all at once. Many of the switchbacks had great lookout points rewarding us with incredible views.
We made it to the top (around 1200 feet elevation) in 60 mins and arrived at the picnic shelter and when it started pouring down. Just then we saw a guy with a kid strapped to his back come down from what seemed like a hidden trail from the direction of the Giant’s Nose.
He told us that the trail officially ends here but he has done this hike so many times, he loves going up further to the top where the climb is a lot more adventurous. I had read some accounts of people attempting this part of the unofficial trail and getting injured. When I mentioned this, his little 3-year old piped up from daddy’s back – Who told you that? That was fun!
I couldn’t help but laugh out at his cheeky response. The dad told us if he can do that part of the trail with the kid strapped to his, we could certainly do it. We just have to be careful and watch our step. At this point, a lady from LA had reached the summit and she was telling us she’s been up the Giant’s chin a few times and it wasn’t that difficult! I was initially hesitant, but M was all excited and eventually he convinced me. The LA lady, Barbara decided to join us!
The entrance to this part of the trail is across the grassy plateau to the left and leads to the Giant’s head. The trail narrows here with drop-offs on either side. I put my phone away safely in my backpack. Hiking this part of the ridge was quite the adrenaline rush. After a 10 minute scramble up a series of rocks and boulders, we climbed up the Giant’s chin.
Parts of the trail along the giant’s chin, nose and forehead dropped off dangerously and as I peered over the edge, I could see all the tiny little trees hundreds of feet below!
As we got to the top, another guy was already hanging out at the Giant’s forehead and was headed back. His advice – At all times, keep 3 digits on the ground. Two hands and one leg, or one hand and two legs!Â
The force of the wind was indeed strong.
Since I was the first to get up here, I walked left on the very narrow spine of the trail out to the giant’s nose, a small, windy rocky outcropping and settled down there.  Barbara and M settled down at the chin.
I have to tell you, it was the most incredible feeling to be sitting there, and taking in views of the Pacific ocean on east and valley bordered by even bigger mountains on the west. Â We sat there for a few minutes letting it all sink in and watched the sun slowly make its journey down the horizon.
Dang! The sun was going down. And we didn’t have flashlights. And it was raining off and on. We had already experienced how slippery the red mud could be. We carefully started to make our way back down, first to the official summit at the picnic shelter and then further down back on the trail. Barbara warned us that she once got stuck coming down this trail after sunset and it gets pitch dark making it extremely difficult to navigate the tricky path down.
Hiker Tip 101 – Never go on an afternoon hike without a small flashlight in your back pack.
It was our second day in Kauai, and I had no intention of getting stranded in the mountains! With a single-minded focus on making it back to the trailhead before darkness descended, I led the way down. The rain pick up on the descent and at one point Barbara slipped and landed on her back. Thankfully, she wasn’t hurt, but that’s when she confessed that her shoes have no tread! Apparently, she couldn’t find her hiking boots before she left LA and decided to bring regular running shoes instead since she didn’t want to miss out on all the amazing hikes.
That would have worked on a dry day. But on a wet and muddy trail, treadless shoes literally make you surf on the mud, and not in a good way. That’s what was happening to Barbara. That’s probably the first time I realized the importance of good hiking shoes. M has some expensive heavy duty hiking boots, while I wear New Balance shoes for rough terrain which has good tread. It has served me well on all my Bay Area hikes.
Hiker Tip 101 – Invest in good quality hiking shoes/boots. They are worth every penny and can mean the difference between simply aching leg muscles and actually broken ankles, and more serious injuries.
I decided to give Barbara my hiking stick for support since she had neither a stick nor good shoes. Double whammy!
The stick helped her in a major way since she was sliding pretty much every few meters. The sun was going down fast, but we made it out to the base just as it got dark, soaking wet and shoes and hands covered in layers of red mud! (That would soon become the theme pretty much on all our hikes in Kauai!) Â The thrill of chasing the sun down was exhilarating! And Barbara kept us entertained with many stories.
The thrill of chasing the sun down was exhilarating! And Barbara kept us entertained with many stories. I had read accounts from other hikers that say Sleeping Giant was not that big a deal. I beg to differ. Maybe on a dry, sunny day, it’s a moderately difficult hike. But on a day that kept changing from cloudy to misty and finally rainy, the giant truly challenges you, sleeping or not!
Trail Tips
- This trail has no bathrooms. So, if you must go, be one with nature!
- Bring a small picnic lunch. The picnic shelter at the summit is is a great spot to stop and have a bite and relax.
If you liked this, maybe you will like these other Hawaii hikes too!
- Mahaulepu Heritage Trail
- Okolehau Trail
- Manoa Falls
