Hanakapi'ai Falls hike

Yesterday I hiked the Kalalau Trail as far as the first beach and then up the valley to the waterfall. See a map of the hike for a sense of the route. (There are a couple GPS glitches near the waterfall: I did not scale the steep walls of the valley as indicated). Total distance is about eight miles with some elevation ups and downs but most taxing is the trail up the valley which is narrow and muddy and crosses the river several times.

Hike to the beach

The first segment of this hike is a start of the Kalalau Trail that everybody sees. It starts with an unrelenting climb up the largely stony path for over half a mile with a great view back to Ke'e beach where the path reaches out nearly over the ocean. Climbing and dropping as it weaves into valleys and out over the ocean, eventually descending steeply (slippery on the well worn clay) into the Hanakapi'ai valley.

Hanakapi'ai beach

Short stop at the beach (after crossing the river) for a snack, there is a striking field of stones, many piled high with carefully balanced hand-placed stones. Last February I was here but do not recall these, or certainly not so extensively. After visiting the falls I spent more time on the beach on both sides of the river that dumps out into the ocean here mixing fresh water with salt water.

Hanakapi'ai Valley

Heading up the valley, the much less well traveled path becomes more challenging, largely due to mud. I should write about Kauai mud in depth, but suffice to say it was a messy journey up the valley. The several river crossings are tricky if you want to keep your feet dry by boulder-hopping, or very easy if you simply wade through.
The mud can be intense at times [TO DO: write up on mud] but the trail rewards. Climbing up the valley on the far side of the river you pass through a few clearings with large clumps of bamboo bending every which way (sadly, graffiti-covered). About a mile up you cross first to a small island in the river and then again to the bank back of the near side of the river as the trail head.
From here the trail narrows further (and at points you get a view up the valley to the cliffs around the falls, but not the waterfall itself) as you move upriver, until a steep rocky cliff blocks that side. Here you must cross back to the far side, climb up a steep embankment, the trail increasingly going over rocky outcrops, eventually delivering you down to the river bank for the last crossing once again to the near side. From here you can see partial views of the falls here and there and it's perhaps a quarter mile, over more rock (slippery when wet but not exposed) and then opening up into the falls.

Hanakapi'ai Falls

Sheer cliff faces surround the large pond at the base of the falls on three sides with the waterfall centered at the back. Water tumbles down the rocky face nearly 100 feet at top hitting a ledge and then sprays out and down the remained perhaps 300 feet in freefall. The face of the cliff is covered in green in places, bare rock in others. Rocks have accumulated around the pond that drains to feed the river just hiked up.

Having come this far can gotten wet and muddy anyway, I went for a swim in the pond - a very cold and brief swim it must be said. The water is murky from much accumulated silt and constant churning of the waterfall, and the pond is filled with the same rocks that surround it, it's quite shallow and not very swimmable. Drying on a rock (the valley is so deeply carved here there is no direct sun) I heard a sharp crack near the cliff area - a loose stone must have fallen - and was glad I didn't venture too far in there: even a small stone falling a few hundred feet would be a serious impact. A couple ventured up and went for the swim as well, even shorter than mine.

It rained a bit while I was up there and about half the time wind was blowing over the top of the valley downriver, filling the entire area with horizontal mist. I might have gotten as wet even not having gone swimming. There are a few spots just a little downriver that afford good views of the falls but far enough back that the blown water doesn't reach that are good for photography. I've been up here when it was really blowing and rainy - no photos from that visit.

When: This hike should be avoided after or during significant rainfall unless you like mud. A local told me if from Hanalei you see waterfalls in the mountains wider than hairline of white that you can expect elevated river level and a very muddy trail on the Kalalau near section.

• At times the river level is elevated and crossings may be dangerous. 
• Wind and rain can make the anticipated view of the falls disappointing so watch the weather, though it can change unpredictably. 
• Allow plenty of time - start no later than 10am I would recommend. 
• Some sections of the trail require slow going and you will want to spend time at the beautiful beach as well. 
• You definitely want to be back before dark in any case.

Bring: insect repellent for the valley segment; plenty of water; hiking poles recommended for water crossings and negotiating the mud.