Kalalau Beach

Beautiful coast line. If you are prepared, the trailhead starts here, to go uphill along trails (that are very muddy and slippery since Kauais is a wet, rainy island), takes a lot of skill and TIME. It gets dark quickly so give yourself ample time, at least 4 hours EACH way.

After two attempts to get to Kalalau Beach — getting cheated by the seasons and the elements the first two attempts — I finally made the backpacking trip to Kalalau Beach, albeit solo, in April 2009.
The trail itself is not a big challenge — I’ve done more technical hiking (ie — Half Dome & back) and much longer hikes — it’s important to do some practice hikes with your backpack actually loaded with the gear you plan to bring.
Do not ever underestimate the weight of your pack on this trail — learn to pack and balance properly and learn to go lightweight.
You really do NOT need a tent nor a sleeping bag. You don’t even really need shoes but it’s nice to at least wear Keens. Bring a hammock, a fly and some light weight leggings or sarongs to cover up while you are sleeping in your hammock.
Don’t worry about bringing too little to Kalalau Beach as hikers are always trying to get rid of stuff on their way off the trail, leaving excess food at the camp. Potlucks are pretty common. Bring food for yourself on the trail and ingredients to share potluck style with other hikers and the residents of the beach.
Oh — wait — you didn’t know about the beach residents? Yep — it’s true. There are a LOT of people living in the valley and on the beach. I talked with people who hadn’t had an address other than a PO Box or general delivery at the carry-​out closest to Haena Park for over 15 years. There were people who had not even left the beach for close to 2 years — subsisting on food they could forage and get as donations — or food brought in by friends who made the trek out of the park to collect food stamps from PO Boxes and bring back provisions.
People leave a lot of crap at Kalalau Beach — when I was there in April 2009, there was a MOUNTAIN of abandoned gear, clothing, furniture and other items — not a small mountain but a mountain that was more than 8 feet high and which covered an area about 20′ x 10′ and which was covered by tarps. The residents said the pile had been 2x larger but a helicopter raid a few months earlier resulted in a bit of a clear out.
Maintenance of the pit toilets at the beach is a big issue. They were utterly disgusting. TState of Hawaii has so little money — no have rangers check or chase off people taking up residence. There is nobody to maintain the toilets or make sure people don’t leave their garbage. As a result — the toilets were full all the way up and the home to a great many giant cockroaches called palmetto bugs — just like those found in New Orleans and Florida.
Don’t worry — the don’t fly, much — and they aren’t interested in you — just in your food, your poo and your woolen clothing (they loved my wool sweaters and ate the hell out of them in New Orleans). These roaches will eat through a plastic bread bag — so make sure you keep your food very tightly wrapped because these mouse-​sized roaches will be climbing into your pack while you are sleeping (but they won’t climb into your hammock with you — I never had that problem either sleeping on the beach or in New Orleans).
When I went to Kalalau Beach — I wanted to escape things at home and find solitude and peace in the wilderness. For so remote — I found crowds of people, noisy traffic from helicopters, boats, and zodiacs and other people’s neighbor problems.
Friendly though they might be — the beach residents are mostly a lot of societal drop outs, many with substance abuse issues who ask about drugs to donate to their cause and a lot of people grow marijuana out there.
The beach is gorgeous — but the National Parks need to take over and resolve the maintenance and overuse issues. It tends to be pretty windy and you can’t always swim off the beach there. It’s just so ridiculously crowded it’s like being at «Earthdance» or some other camping festival where most folks are less prepared than you and asking for handouts.
I’d love to return but the beach is really not in great shape these days.

Hands down one of the best beaches on the face of the earth. Totally isolated and accessible only by a GRUELING 11-​mile hike starting at the trail head at Ha’ena Beach State Park near Princeville. Even though the literature states that it has an 800 foot elevation, the 22-​mile out and back hike takes two days and accumulates an 11,000 foot elevation change.
To reach the beach, one has to have special permits from the Hawaii State Parks Office in Lihue, and allows the hiker to get to the beach and spend four days in paradise. The number of permits is limited so it pays to plan in advance. There are «poacher» hikers on the trails but they are subject to a stiff fine or arrest if caught. The trail is primitive. That means that all you need for the trail and stay, you have to carry in and out. All water must be filtered as feral poultry have contaminated virtually all watersheds with Giardia and Leptospirosis.
A good pair of broken-​in hiking boots is a must. The hike begins in a tropical rain forest on the Northern part of the round-​sized island of Kawai’i. Following a marathon 600 foot climb through a dense forest of guava, taro, and native trees, the narrow trail goes up and down and meanders through rain forest for a couple of miles before a steep descent to Hanakapi’ai Beach, itself a wonderful little isolated beach with a stream in the middle. There are signs with notches signaling the number of people who have lost their lives in the heavy surf. This trail can be made as a trial to see if the hikers want to continue. Many hikers, even in great shape, choose not to…
The next phase of the hike is an immediate, almost vertical trail rising almost 900 feet over the beach, featuring wet, slippery switchbacks. More ups and downs through narrow trails carved into the Pali, sheer vertical rock formations rising directly from the ocean to several thousand feet. About the 7-​mile marker, the deep Hanakoa Valley stretches ahead, allowing for the tired feet and exhausted bodies to get some rest on a primitive camping area with a stream for water filtration and a good night of sleep. That part of the island gets enormous amounts of rain, so heavy downpours are possible.
Following Hanakoa, an almost miraculous change happens in the terrain. Round a corner and one goes from a rain forest to a semi-​desert. The trail gets dry, dusty, and even more dangerous as the lack of cover allow land slides on the side of the Pali’s. Nonetheless, the sheer beauty of the place is spellbinding. Close to the 9 mile point, the Kalalau Beach area can be seen. And it is one of the most magnificent views on Earth.
Towards the end of the steeply downward trail, one reaches an illegal settlement of old hippies that have been living there probably since the days of Height Ashbury. There is a hut they call the «Library» and additional temporary buildings that oftentimes get taken down by the Rangers, only to be rebuilt by the squatters.
Once at Kalalau Beach, some of the most wonderful scenery on the planet is yours. The almost two-​mile long beach is nestled between rock formations that end at the sheer vertical walls of the 5,000 foot cliffs, with a monumentally gorgeous valley in the background. Towards the end of the beach, a Heiau, a sacred Hawaiian altar, has been built inside a cave. The beach, made of fine volcanic sand, defies description. Depending on the time of the season, there may be from a few people to none at the beach, allowing for, if one wishes, au naturel attire…
There is a large stream at Kalalau Beach close to the elevated camping area, as well as composting toilets and fire pits. There are no telephones, electricity, cars, engines, or anything resembling human engineering.
One of the nicest places on earth…