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Hiking The Kalalau Trail In 10 Hours, Hawaii

Kilauea, Hawaii

Details

Distance

22 miles

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Flip Mayernik

Hiking 22 miles along the Na Pali coast in and out of ancient Hawaiian valleys.

Starting out at 5am we started hiking the Kalalau trail in the dark until the sun rose.  The first mile is mostly uphill and rocky.  Then you drop down and cross the river which is a 2 mile marker. From here you are required to have a permit if you wish to continue into the valley.  Or you could hang out at the beach or hike to an amazing waterfall.  The rain set us back a couple days so our permits were expired.  This day was the only sunny day of the week so we decided to execute and do the whole hike in a day.  

The rest of the hike is going in and out of numerous ancient Hawaiian valleys.  Mostly flat but the trail does drop and raise in elevation but very moderately to what we are used to.  It took us 5 hours to get to the Kalalau beach.  We stopped for about 10 minutes every hour enjoying the sunshine, views, and fueling our bodies.  Once we got to the beach we explored, ate, and rested up for 5 hours until we started making our way back. 

The way back it started raining.  We read that doing the hike in the rain was highly advised not to do.  We proceeded with caution.  The rain made the trail very slick.  The section of the trail that it affected most was the muddy cliff section with a drop off of several hundred feet into the ocean before and after crawlers ledge.  The trail in those areas are no wider than 2 feet and are to be treated with extreme attention and respect.  Passing that section was a huge relief.  But we still had to cross the river which is known for flash flooding and advised not to do in the rain.  We noticed the water level raised but nothing to drastic to keep us on that side.  We proceeded with caution.  At this point the sun was getting ready to drop over the horizon so we stopped and enjoyed the sunset.  Just as we started we finished the hike with our headlamps and got back to the car at 8pm.  A total hike time of 10 hours.  Keep Mountaineering The World and take in all the lessons the outdoors has to offer.

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Features

Fitness
Survival
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Camping
Photography
Swimming
Backpacking
Hiking
Bathrooms
Beach
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Forest
Picnic Area
River
Romantic
Scenic
Waterfall
Wildflowers
Wildlife

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