We hiked two segments of the trail (trailhead to Hanakapiai Beach and then beach to waterfall) in one day (approximately 6 hours total, with many photo stops) and had an amazing time. The hike is not for the faint of heart -- you should definitely be in good physical condition. Portions of the trail are muddy and slippery, and the... more

We intended to go to Hanakapi'ai Falls but only made it as far as the beach (which was rewarding enough). The trail is either jagged rock or shallow slippery mud. There's very little smooth dirt tracking. It's also extremely hot once the sun gets over the mountains. You need to bring at least a liter of water per person per... more

I hiked the Kalalau trail on July 4th with my cousin. It is not a hard hike if you are at all in shape. Not a lot of elevation gain, some moderate ups and downs. It can probably get a little slippery in a rainier season. I hiked it in a good pair of flip flops, probably not the best... more

Take water. Park early. Plan to take your time. Wear good hiking shoes. We saw several injuries (not too serious) while we hiked do to poor footwear and the rough trail. I am going to loose 2 toenails from rubbing on my shoes on the way back down (and I wore running shoes). Views are incredible. Beach is very pretty... more

My husband and I hiked the Kalalau Trail on our honeymoon in August 2008. We hiked to Kalalau Beach and spent two nights there before hiking out. We are fit hikers in our 20s and it took us about 6.5 hours each way. We made sure to pack light - my husband carried a little over 30 lbs and I... more

The trail is wonderful. Parking is difficult - go early. The views are worth the effort! more

This hike isn't for the faint of heart. The first part of the Kalalau Trail is all uphill and covered with dense tree roots. The rest of the trail is extremely rocky and covered in mud. There is very little flat land. For some reason I chose to wear teva-style sandals. Big mistake! My feet were covered with cuts in... more

My wife and I have hiked the Kalalau trail 4 times to the end. Most recently in January 2007. We are not super athletic people, at the time of writing this we are in our mid-40's. Three of the hikes we have stayed overnight and hiked out the next day. I don't recommend this as it is very tiring. Our... more

We hiked the first two miles of the Kalalau trail on August 11, and this was one of the highlights of our trip. We arrived early and got a parking spot near the trailhead. We had hiking poles with us, but at the last second decided to leave them in the condo and wished we had brought them with us.... more