Awaʻawapuhi Trail

This morning we hiked the Awaʻawapuhi Trail. Directions to the trail head are easy: take the road up to Kokeʻe State Park, continue past the meadow (where the restaurant and museum are) two miles and look for the signed trail head parking on the left. Itʻs before the first Kalalau lookout. GPS 22.141406,-159.648616.

Bring the usual essentials, especially plenty of water as it can be quite hot on the lower exposed part of the trail and you wonʻt see any water sources at all.

Not recommended if very wet or likely to get much rain, unless you like wallowing in slippery mud. Check the Kokeʻe section of the Hawaii forecast for weather info. Also be forewarned that the views over Na Pali are the highlight of this hike, but it can easily be overcast and foggy turning your view into a pure white-out. So check the weather and go on a day itʻs sunny at Kokeʻe and on the coast as well.

Unfortunately the cliff trail that connects this trail to the Nualolo trail (to the south/west) that parallels it is closed indefinitely. One section of the cliff trail is well known to be challenging - loose rock on a steep slope - but they have the entire area between the two trails cordoned off with new signage. Itʻs too bad because the full loop is my favorite hike this side of the island. Now that the two trails are separated one must choose between them:

• Nualolo is longer and steeper, definitely more strenuous
• Nualolo trail gets narrow and is more exposed in places
• Awaʻawapuhi is preferred if rain is expected or the ground muddy at all
• Both have great views at the trail end over the Na Pali coast

From the parking lot the trail gently rises a bit but thereafter itʻs downhill all the way out on average which means you have to climb back out. Today on the trail we were the first on the trail and on the return saw 11 people heading out.

The upper trail leads down through Kokeʻe forest, quite soon becoming quiet with plenty of bird song in the morning. The trail is wide and well-marked (including mileage markers every 1/4 mile), flat dirt for the most part with exposed roots on some sections and the occasional rock.

Lower down the tree open up and you also get your first views of the valleys to either side: Awaʻawapuhi on the left (outbound), Honopu on the right. Below is a shot of the top of the valley looking west showing (faintly) Niʻihau on the horizon at left and its nearby small uninhabited island Lehua at the far right.

At the 3 mile marker you will see the (signed off limits) cliff trail merge in and just a quarter mile further you reach the end of the trail where the Na Pali views are to be had, weather permitting. Conditions can change quickly here, so if you get there and itʻs all mist and fog, give it some time. Conversely, if itʻs clear, enjoy the views while you can because the mist can roll in quickly.

The shot at right is from trail end looking down over a very high cliff, and you can see a little mist.

Having enjoyed the views and perhaps a snack, turn around and begin retracing your path back up the hill to the trail head.

Update: A recent article on the Awaawapuhi. Use your own good judgment going as far out as shown.