Trekking Kalalau

The Kalalau trail is an extraordinary backpacking trek that every skilled adventurer should experience. Planning starts early for this trek, most people plan their trip up to a year in advance, since permits are limited and sell out fast (particularly during the summer). Don’t discount the off-season, I went in January and experienced significantly less crowds and phenomenal weather for the entire four days of my trek! Your permits will cost $20/person per day, and are required, permits can be purchased at: https://kalalautrail.com/information/permits/.

Getting to the trail is easiest by rental car, but be sure to leave your vehicle empty, theft from cars parked here is VERY common. It is best to break up the hike in and out into two days, staying halfway at the Hanakoa Valley campsite on your way to and from the beach. If you do the entire hike in one day, it’s 11 miles of extremely strenuous hiking, which I wouldn’t recommend for even the most fit individuals. At the Hanakoa site, you will find a lovely stream to cool off in as well as designated sites and a bathroom. There is also a waterfall you can hike to from the campsite that is well worth visiting.

From Hanakoa Valley you hit Crawler’s Ledge early on your second day of hiking, this is a very narrow trail with a cliff on one side. While it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting, many people with a fear of heights were struggling to make it passed this part of the trail. After this it’s one of the easier sections of the trail, followed by the descent into Kalalau Valley and the widest river crossing. Once you cross the river, follow the trail towards the ocean and you’ll be at the sites within about 0.5 miles. I highly recommend spending at least 1-2 days at the end of the trail, it’s stunning and provides a great community to interact with. There are side hikes to swimming pools and falls, and a waterfall on the beach to use for showers and collecting water to filter.

This trek is absolutely incredible.

Pro tips:

• If you’re staying at Hanakoa Valley, the open campsites by the toilets get really damp. There is a GREAT spot hidden behind the shelter near the toilets, just up a small trail - this spot is much drier and much more private. There are also sites on the far side of the river, but water access is much more difficult from this side.

• At Kalalau Beach, just passed the “designated” campsites there are many great spots closer to the beach. While I don’t think camping here is technically allowed, many people do. The views and breeze are far superior here.

• Book far out in advance and make sure to get a permit. There were plenty of people hiking without permits, but I still wouldn’t recommend it.

• Food - no one talks about food storage, I was worried about critters here, but we kept our food in our packs next to the tent and had no problems. (You don’t need to hang your food.) The cats will totally eat any food you leave unattended outside though, so keep a close eye on any meat or cheese you bring in!

• Gear Notes-

• Use trekking poles. We saw a lot of people going without and they were not doing well (unless they had ultralight packs and were strikingly fit).

• You need a TON of water. You sweat a lot out there, we refilled halfway through each day at streams with our filter. Highly recommend the Sawyer Squeeze filter, this was super easy to use, lightweight and the bags double as water storage for longer stretches.

• Don’t bring a sleeping bag. I used a lightweight blanket and this was plenty, plus it saved a bunch of room and weight in my pack.

• Do bring a hammock. I purchased and Eno Double Nest hammock and loved having it by the beach for relaxing. We slept in a Big Agnes Fly Creek Tent for two and were quite comfortable, this super light tent was amazing to carry.

• Purchase fuel on the island (you can’t bring it on the plane). Ace Hardware is a great spot to pick up your fuel and has locations around the island.