A relatively short and easy hike. The whole thing took just over an hour for us, which includes the…read moretime we took to stop for photos and admire the views. We did read that it can get very slippery and muddy at times, but luckily we didn't run into that issue. The ground was pretty dry when we went, and I had no issues with my super old shoes that had no traction left. There are also few areas when going down to the falls where you need to navigate down some steep/rocky areas, and then back up when coming back. Shouldn't be an issue for those who are able-bodied, but just something to keep in mind if you were hoping to come with those who aren't (maybe not the best idea). The falls were a bit small when we went, but overall the hike was pretty with lots of lush greenery. We saw some people jumping into the water, but we were way too lazy for that. We also read that septic tanks from the neighborhood may leak into the water. Since the trail starts in a residential neighborhood, please be respectful and mindful when walking past homes to the trailhead, and don't be too noisy or trespass. We also parked our cars nearby at Kapahi Park. The neighborhood roads are small and I can see why residents would get annoyed with people constantly cluttering up the street to go hiking. Overall, a great option if you're looking for an easy but beautiful hike. Maybe consider hiking shoes if it has recently rained heavily since apparently it can get muddy.

Wow, this trail was something. I came to Kauai for a jungle…read moreadventure, and I definitely got one here! It is such a magical path First of all the trailhead is pretty hard to find and kind of hilarious. There is literally no official signage, except a sign that reminds people to stay quiet since they're in a neighborhood. There is a designated parking lot may be about a quarter mile away, so you're not supposed to park in front of peoples houses. As you're walking from the parking lot towards the trailhead, someone's house is labeled with a cute story between frog and toad that says that the trailhead is three houses down. There's the most narrow little entryway into the trailhead. We also thought it was funny after our hike that almost all the yelp reviews talk about how easy this hike is. We're a pretty fit family, and I'll just say that after a week of rain, this trail was quite treacherous, so part of our experience may be that we got unlucky with the weather. We had to try really hard not to slip at every step. There's areas down to the river in the waterfalls that are really really steep where we had to grab onto trees and branches to not cause a landslide. We were caked in mud from the knees down and on our hands for most of the hike . Definitely need shoes with good grip - our Keens worked well since we were able to rinse out some of the mud in the river. It rained on and off during our hike, but luckily there were so many trees that the rain itself was not too bothersome, but most of the trail was soaked in mud puddles . We only made it to the first waterfall because of the conditions but still had a blast ! We had a lot of fun but I wouldn't have brought my older parents for example so be wary depending on the rain !

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.

This trail was HARD- we took the hanakapiai falls trail and didn't even make it to the falls. We…read moregot a parking spot pass so we had to be back within 6 hours and it took us the whole 6 hours to do. Of course the beauty of the trail kept us going along with the fresh guava we snacked on and the river water we splashed on our faces... I work out 5x a week and this kicked my toosh. This trail is not for the unseasoned hikers. The elevation gain is MASSIVE (2,500+ ft)! We were absolutely pooped by the end. Beware this trail is quite rocky and ankle injuries are common. As long as you have lots of water, more than 6 hours, good ankle support and lot of snacks (more than you think) you'll have an excellent time.

one of our favorite hikes in Kauai and such a beautiful beach at the start perfect for a post hike…read moredip! Make sure to get a coconut right up the road after!

The views are lovely. You'll spend most of this hike looking at your feet. The terrain is very…read moreuneven. Rocks, roots. The views are stunning, when you pause to stop checking your steps.

A fantastic intermediate trail if you're looking for some good exercise and aren't scared of a…read morelittle mud. It took two hours to go up and down while stopping for lots of photos and going at a pretty leisurely pace. Mostly covered, so it felt great even on a sunny day. Highly recommend.

This was much harder than I expected. The valet at the hotel told me to try it, and I didn't…read morerealize that it was gonna be slippery with rocks and roots throughout. Once it started raining, I was slipping and sliding the whole way absolutely gorgeous, but definitely wear tennis or hiking shoes.

We only had time to do the East Nounou Trail and the Nounou Shelter Trail so this review is based…read moreoff of those. The East Nounou Trail was our second hike of the day and did not disappointed. It is 2 miles with no steep ascent and a bit of coverage with breezes coming near the 1.75 to 2 mile markers. The views are spectacular as you overlook the east side of the island and south of the island as you get further up. There is one hurdle which you have to climb a rock, but it wasnt bad. You can hurl yourself up or take a bit of a path on the left to slowly get yourself up it. It is a ascending, descending, and straight way hike path. Eventually you will hit a T-intersection and decide whether to continue the Nounou trail to the right or go to the Shelter trail on the left. The Shelter trail feels like only mere steps away from the T-intersection and the view is covered a bit by bushes. The best view is near the 1.75 mile mark as there is a hill you can get on for a better elevated view of the ocean. I think if you want a better valley view, you would have to continue the Nounou trail. There werent many people on this hike when we went (around 1:30 pm) but when we left (around 3:30 pm), more people were arriving. Overall, an somewhat of an easy for intermediate hikers.

We took the approximately 3.4 mile Nounou trail east and then went all the way to the summit (maybe…read moreonly a half mile or so but taxing) and then back down to the street where we walked to our car. The Nounou trail is pretty level although it does get a little muddy in spots and has a few minor obstacles such as felled trees along the way. Beginner to low intermediate. Very green very Kauai trail.

Quite a hike to a beautiful fall. Be prepared with hiking shoes. Do not go when it's raining…read morebecause it gets very slick. Only for those that are prepared to hike. Not for children or older adults who don't hike.

The park is now opened but there are many changes. 1. You…read moreneed to make reservation for parking or shuttle or walking in. For overnight camping or hiking pass Hanakapi'AI, you will need to get permit. 2. Check website gohaena.com for parking and shuttle reservation. For parking reservation, you will need to book at least 1 month in advance. You can reserve from 6:30 to 12:30 or 12:30 to 4:30 pm, and then 4:30 pm to sunset. They will not let you pass the gate if you do not have permit. 3. For walking in, you also need to make reservation in advance. $1 per person. 4. For shuttle, it is including hop on and hop off from Princeville Makai golf club to Ke'e beach and costs about $15 per person. 5. Parking reservation and shuttle reservation will include park entry. In a way, it is good that they can limit amount of cars driving in and people using the trail. We did not plan in advance so ended with shuttle. Down load the hop-on hop-off pass on cell phone. We took the shuttle from Princeville. It takes about 1 hour to get to Ke'e beach because they have to pick up people along the way (hanalei villages, Hanalei resort, Waipa park and ride). Then walked 0.3 mile from parking to Ke'e beach or entrance. The shuttle back to Princeville runs every 45 to 60 min. The shuttle from Ke'e beach to Waipa parking runs every 30 min. Last shuttle is at 4:30 pm. We ended up taking the shuttle fromKe'e beach to Waipa and walked 20 minutes (over a mile) to Hanalei village. We got some lunch but could not wait for our shuttle back to Princeville... ended taking uber. If you plan to visit, make sure check the website and make reservations in advance. The trail is slippery since it is raining every day for past weeks. - bring good traction shoes. - 1 L water per person at least. - snacks. There are no shopping until Hanalei village. - bathrooms is at Ke'e beach and outdoor shower. They are decent and have toilet papers. - it is quite strenuous hike. So, I would not recommend anyone with walking or gait problems. - kids older then 6 probably ok hiking this trail.

I am a fool and went AGAIN when the fog was setting in. Well, at least you get a great view of the…read morevalley just 0.1 miles in so you don't actually have to go in far to get the great views. This time I went after a rain and it was even muddier than when I went 8 years ago. I have nothing major to add, the hike hasn't really changed. I will add ONE tip however. If you are going to the end, when you FIRST hit the fence, put a natural trail marker for yourself on the fence. Because on the way back we missed the turn off to go back towards the trailhead and headed instead towards the Alakai Swamp trail. We realized our mistake when we started seeing boards and steps we didn't see prior. The first time you hit the fence is when the trail splits (you'd go left to the top of the Vista and right to go to Alakai Swamp trail). We spent about 20 minutes try to find our way back. The GPS on google maps wasn't the most helpful because it doesn't distinguish between two turn offs on the trail that are technically probably about 50 feet apart but impossible to know when on the ground because those turn offs are at a major height difference and you can't see one from the other. As you are headed back down from the top, the fence continues along towards Alakai so you if you keep following it, you may not ended up where you need to be.

Oh lord this hike nearly killed me…read more Short version: Go to the half mile marker and turn around, it really isn't worth the effort climbing up to the Pihea Vista. I was fooled by the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. Or screwed over by weather. Either way it was a tough hike. We visited in the morning because everything I read said there would be fewer clouds. Unfortunately for us, the clouds stuck around nearly the entire time. All we saw was the top rim of the canyon and it looked like a brewing cauldron. The clouds were constantly moving up and around. We briefly saw the ocean through a hole in the mist before it filled back in. At least the views South were clear. The first half mile was pretty easy, and I am NOT in shape. So if I could haul myself up and down the not-so-flat trail, anyone can do it. A lot of the ups and downs are kind of a choose your own adventure style trail. I often studied the terrain before ascending and descending, even if not too difficult, because I have a bad ankle and sometimes do poorly on uneven ground. Some areas looked slick so I stuck to the very edges where I could use trees for support. There are plenty of spots along this first half mile that should offer great photo ops. Clear of trees and brush, but also free of any safety barriers. Please be careful near the edge! The breezes up here are fantastic and the air is so fresh. I did enjoy being away from the crowds and in the quiet. And other hikers on the trail were very friendly and respectful.

Beautiful view from Shipwreck beach. Small parking lot and a trail at the back that we did not walk…read moreon. No idea if you can climb on top but no cliff jumping allowed.

Everyone has heard of the cliffs of Dover. How about the cliffs of Poipu?…read more Drove past the Grand Hyatt hotel parking lot, and turned onto Ainako street just before the Poipu Bay Golf Course. Pass the golf course and head to the Shipwreck beach parking lot. Blustery day with high winds and blowing sprinkles of rain. Walked along the Mahaulepu Heritage Trail for a quarter mile before we could see the cliffs in a distance. Two sets of cliffs, one primarily off white, and another orange red. You can not only see the cliffs, but by going another half mile, walk on the cliffs themselves. Limestone with the fossilized remains of ancient sea creatures. The Poipu Bay Golf Course sits right on the orange red cliffs. The immediate cliff area is fenced off, due to the danger of pieces falling off into the sea. But you can walk on the trail on the edge of the golf course, right next to the fenced off narrow cliff side. Today nobody in their right mind is playing golf this morning, not with the 20 mph winds. Signs say hikers cannot walk on the golf course. Of course if you are willing to pay the $130 green fee, they might make an exception. Another sign says no one may climb over the short fence, even to retrieve a golf ball. Two stroke penalty I believe!