This was an absolutely beautiful and incredible hike, one of the most amazing trails! Let's be…read morehonest though, this was a hard hike. The sun will beat down on you and you're gonna climb some inclines. To get to the trail and hike you need a permit, we went through a tourist service that provided a Shuttle at Hāʻena State Park. The shuttle is frequent so you're able to plan your day and get a ride back to the lot. When they say bring 2 liters of water per person, they mean it. We also brought 2 snack bars per person too. Listen to the guides at the beginning!! This hike took us about ~6.5-7 hours with some breaks and we swam in the waterfall. I highly recommend picking up dinner and storing it in your fridge because restaurants might be closed by the time you finish the hike. Ke'e beach is right on the trailhead, this is a safe beach to enjoy! The beach at 4 miles (halfway towards the waterfall) is not safe and it is mentioned over and over- the rip tides will sweep you away. On the trail, there were lots of guava which smelled amazing! You cross the flowing stream from the waterfall multiple times. The trail can get muddy too. It rained briefly on the way back and it was really nice break from the sun. The falls were worth the hike for sure. So beautiful and cool to swim. I would hike this again, so incredible! I will say, I was extremely exhausted and sore after, but loved the experience!

This hike absolutely kicked my butt, but the views made it all worth it. It is 8 miles round trip…read moreto the falls, and they are a LONG 8 miles. Terrain is extreme, and you have to cross through water on multiple occasions. Swimming under the waterfall was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. The views of the Na Pali coast were amazing. I would recommend this hike but be sure to be conditioned for it and prepared with the right gear and enough water.

Usually I have an itinerary when I go on vacation. But I didn't for a week long stay in Kauai…read morethinking we'll just hang loose. We'd been to Kauai before but it was many years ago. I was reading up on the Napali Coast. Want to see it without going by air or by sea. Take a hike. We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. But got a clue on the park and ride shuttle when our driver gave a hint. He said if you only want to get a shot of Napali Coast it'll only take you 20 minutes. We started following the signs in Haena State Park where the Trail begins. Folks left sticks that you can use as walking poles. We each took one. Immediately I'm not liking it. The Trail begins as a steep climb on jagged rocks. And it's wet & muddy as it rains intermittently. We were the first group out at 6:30am. More hikers as the day went on. It's 0.5 miles to the lookout. It took us an hour there and an hour back. 2 hours. We got our photo.

We did this Kalalau trail in 2022 when visiting Hawaii and it was absolutely amazing! Please know…read morethis trail is HARD, and tough if you are not a major hiker, just know your limits! I think we ended up hiking around 8+ miles or so as we hiked down to the beach and checked and climbed a lot of boulders and did some rock climbing as well that was pretty tough but worth the adventure. Bring a lot of water and you have to make reservations in advance to take a shuttle to the base as you can't take your car there. We brought sandwiches and had a picnic at the beach, seriously bring a lot of water and snacks and food and be careful of the beach waves as they have signs all over that there are riptides and not to get in the water, basically follow all safety rules!! It was a difficult but an incredible hike; we got so much bursts of rain which felt magical and I am excited we crossed it off the bucket list

This was our favorite beach on Kauai…read more Definitely bring a snorkel mask, or at least goggles. Bring water and snacks too, because you may find you love it so much that you want to stay for a good long while. The GREAT: + We got to swim with sea turtles! At one point there were about 4-5 sea turtles near us, all within maybe 20 feet of the beach. They didn't mind that we were there watching them. Such gentle and magnificent creatures. + There is shade on the beach due to large trees + It was beautiful + It wasn't that crowded (because of the parking situation! see below) The not-so-great: - The parking lot is tiny. We were 2nd in line to wait for a parking spot, thankfully we didn't have to wait more than 15 minutes. However, hubby got antsy because there was no telling how long we'd have to wait. It was WORTH the wait though! - The hike down is steep, especially right at the top. You will want one or ideally BOTH hands free so that you can grab onto the ropes on the sides to help yourself get down, and then haul yourself back up when you're leaving the beach. I don't think our 4yo daughter could have walked down by herself, but I think our 7yo daughter would have been OK. - The waves aren't the most kid-friendly - they're pretty strong. (The waves are fine for teens or adults though. Kids could go in the water with an adult close by, but you just wouldn't want kids to sit in the shallow water as they could get knocked over)

This beach is tucked away down a mini steep hike by 1 Hanalei Bay Resort. It's right outside the…read moreproperty and the trail head is at the back of their valet parking, before the gate guard. There are rope handles to help guide you as you go down. The beach itself is gorgeous and has ample shade under a massive spread out tree. It's perfect for snorkeling with honu (sea turtles) and plenty of fish. The water is calm and great for kids if they make the trek down. It takes about 5-10 minutes depending on your speed. The only downfall is the parking. There are 10 spots in the public lot. You cannot park anywhere else in the surrounding lots, nor can you valet at the hotel for this particular beach. Your other option is the golf course lot about a mile down the road.

A bit of a drive to get there, but worth it. It's pretty much straight uphill 1.2 miles with some…read moreareas moderately steep. There are two viewpoints - one at about the half way mark, and the other at the summit. You'll get a feel for how much uphill you conquered on the way back! (On the way up, try not to think about it.) I'm not usually into hiking for hours on end, let alone for continuous uphill climbs, but this hike is fairly short (about forty five minutes to the top) which is just about right for a straight uphill situation. As with most Kauai hikes there will be muddy areas and you will need to wash clean your hiking shoes well when you get home.

Nice view, if you're not afraid of steep, then continue to the second part. It's less than a mile…read more My daughter asked this man came down how long it took to get to the next view from where we're at. He told her another hour which discouraged her to continue. My and I continued and it's only took us about 20 minutes. However, it's straight up and can be slippery if it's raining or after the rain. There's a rope with knots to help you pull up and come down at the top, which was very helpful (thank-you to whoever so thoughtful). We're lucky there's no rain for a week so it's pretty dry up there. I was actually slipped and sat on my butt when we got down near the exit (lol). It's shaded and the ground still wet at the beginning of the trail. It's worth for a hike. Don't forget to grab a good reliable stick at the entrance.

Magical! This beach is otherworldly. Breathtaking and serene. One of my favorite beaches on Kaua'i…read more Aloha!

We enjoyed checking out this side of the island this time. It was kind of tricky to find parking…read morebut just be patient and you'll find some. We ended up finding a spot on the street and walked down an alley to the beach. Didn't need an umbrella here as there are plenty of shade trees right on the beach. So beautiful and relaxing. It is very popular and busy, but you only really notice that in the water because of everyone wanting to snorkel. The snorkeling was really cool here! Some of the best I've seen! I spent a lot of time in the water, but tried not to go too far out as the tide can be a little tricky here in some parts as well. A must-see when on Kauai!

From Kapaa (6.1 miles roundtrip)…read more Let me begin by letting you know what you might want to pack: 1. Bug Spray 2. Long Pants, Long sleeve shirt. 3. 3 pairs of socks 4. 3L of water minimum 5. A machete 6. A good sense of direction This trail was, in my opinion one of the toughest on the island currently. Reason being, besides the monster elevation gain, the fact that aside from a .3 mile section that was chainsaw cleared, there is not enough traffic through this trail to keep it well blazed...so you do the blazing. The first .25 is a cake walk up a cobble hill the width of a one lane road, and you think huh, my pick up could have done this section. Then at the top of the hill reality sets in, where someone tried to get up here and obviously got stuck leaving two huge ruts that have swelled with water and it wreaks like the zoo. Once you expertly craft a way around this you are greeted with a few banana trees. You might want to think twice, hack the fruit off with your machete and turn around and go home, seriously, consider it. For those of you like me and my wife, the bananas will be reward if and when you pass them on your way out. So you're in! The next quarter mile is bushwhacking through ferns, oversized grass, reeds, prickers, and anything and everything with thorns! Things yout didn't realize had thorns, and your happy you listened to me and are long pants and long sleevin it up! When you hit the .5 mile mark you will think you hit jackpot as this section is cleared via chain saw, like some one got airlifted in and paved your way. But suddenly, at the .75 mark (btdubs, no mile makers or trail markers on this bad boy) you realize that what was cut away was overgrown trees and limbs and such, and ferns, grass, prickers, they all grow back, fast! So now you are in it, and unless you are hiking it tomorrow, right after me, the odds of you moving quickly are slim, regardless of experience. Some have said boots are good, something water proof, I think, slow and steady wins here, picking your footing, being mindful of surroundings, enjoying the chaos of nature destroying what was once a road...sort of. So from .75 to about 2.50, you will be bushehacking, clearing up the trail, with your feet and a stick, or with that machete I told you to bring. But, if you packed all things on my list, you will be comfortable. At the 1.5 mark you pass a hillside to its right and snake down to where the trail is just about unrecognizable, move down further to you right, push through the tall weeds and just past this at the 1.7 mark (all these mile marks are "roughly") there is what I would consider a helicoper landing area. This is a nice spot for a rest, some great photos, and to strip down from your attire and air out, as though the full body coverage is necessary, it's also pretty darm warm. Move past this section to continue blazing your own trail, passing over around and though bogs, river beds and what looks like a trail, occasionally mistepping and trading out socks because you were wise ans brought a few pairs. Remmer that there are so many opportunities for great photos that it doesn't matter that it took you two hours to move two miles. Clear views of waialeale and kawaikini, direct un adulerteated shots of lihue, kapaa, sleeping giant, the hone steads. Waterfalls off to your right, valleys you have never seen before erupt in front of you. At about 2.5 the "road" seems to appear and you have degraded red dirt river bed with huge ditches and divots, slippery sections, pools of water that you want to avoid. You will slip at some point. Try like me to catch it on video, or as you are videotaping...don't worry my phone is okay. NOTE to self: get that gopro. The next section rises up quite a bit in elevation, in direct sunlight, but wide open with little debris. To your right you will see powerline T139. My guess, it's the 139 tower. Take this to the top of the hill, right around 3.1 miles and turn around. You will be blown away. Snap a pic, turn around and do it all over! Don't forget the bananas! Mahalo and Namaste

Can't wait to complete the trail. Looks like a lot of fun. Big slippery ruts and inclines. Would…read morerecommend aggressive tires at a lower psi for some parts. I'll be back when I find a tow truck that's willing to snatch me out just incase

As a long secluded shoreline on the north shore of Kauai, Anini Beach Park is accessible by car via…read morea paved and winding road from the Kuhio Hwy. Another beautiful, worth-visiting beach park on the north shore of Kauai. The central point is the park, that provides plenty of paved parking (parking is also available on the side of the road that hugs the coastline). This park has dedicated camping sites, and we saw many backpack tents set-up further in from the shoreline, usually underneath shade provided by the false kamani trees. The park contains a lot of green space and facilities. My wife and I ate our deli lunch at a nearby picnic table. Turtles often come on shore here, though there were none today (probably because we came in the afternoon). One thing we noticed were all the multi-million dollar homes right on the other side of Anini Road once you pass by Anini Beach Park traveling to the west (it's a dead end, so would need to circle back to get out). They are rentable via the typical companies, and would be great for beach loving families who want to spend some secluded time near the ocean. Also in the area are small pockets where one can park their car and go out into shoreline. From there, one can see and explore the large coral reef that rings this area.

Parking here is hit or miss. The beach is long, but narrow. So it could get crowded quickly. I…read moream not a fan of this beach because there are so many rocks/stones in the water. Unless you have water shoes, I would be super careful when getting in/out of the water here. These rocks are lava rocks and they will cut you open if you are not careful. Also, the waves can be choppy due to weather. One thing I do like is that it's also a park and there are a lot of trees at the beach if you want shade.

Hanalei Bay Lookout is located in the Princeville area of Kauai on the north shore of the island…read more It's a very quick roadside stop on the windy and twisty Kuhio Highway. I'd suggest driving slowly as the small shoulder only accommodates a couple of cars. And...the lookout is situated on the right hand side of the road heading towards Hanalei. If you're coming from Hanalei, it's pretty difficult to pull over onto the left side of the shoulder facing oncoming traffic. If you try to make a fast 360 degree U-turn, be careful because during the height of the day, Kuhio Highway is busy! I only needed 5 - 10 minutes to soak up the surroundings. It's a cool, worthwhile view offering an expansive look at the lush, green Hanalei landscape. The mountains set in the distance provide a vivid setting oozing Hawaiian appeal, like you're standing high above a tropical paradise. My only slight hindrance about this overlook was some old graffiti paint staining on the guardrail. It didn't ruin my picture moment, but it was noticeable. Next door to this Hanalei Bay Lookout just half a mile down the road is Hanalei Valley Lookout. So, you get rewarded with 2 vista point perspectives for the price of 1. Hanalei Valley is a lot more accommodating to tourists with bigger shoulder spacing for parking and in my opinion, a more photogenic overlook highlighted by patchwork taro fields and flourishing green vegetations. Btw, there are no road signs along Kuhio Highway mentioning either Hanalei Bay or Valley Lookouts. I plugged both destinations into Google Maps which made finding them a whole lot easier. Overall, I'd suggest stopping here at Hanalei Bay Lookout. It barely takes effort to capture a scenic glance of Northern Kauai. Just pull off Kuhio Highway, exit your car, admire the panoramic scenery for a few minutes, get back inside and drive away with a fond memory.

Gorgeous lookout but on a dangerous curve. Limited parking (2 cars max) on the shoulder of a curve…read moregoing down a hill, so it's very dangerous to get out of your car on the driver's side. Very beautiful view but obviously lots of car noise. No place to sit or wander around, so be very careful if you have children in tow. Visited January 2023.