At the writing of this article, he has still not been found. Earlier this year Samuel Martinez was hiking and Camping around Kauai and was reported missing. When we got to the trailhead there was a humbling reminder to not hike or camp alone. Our rented Jeep Wrangler was paying off!Īs you drive into the parking lot the trailhead is on your left. With the recent rains there was a big puddle in the parking lot that may have discouraged some people from the one spot we were able to park in. The parking lot is not very big, but we were lucky enough to get a parking lot. The Waipo'o Falls lookout was a pit more restricking than the Niihau Lookout due to a big fence there which limited some of my photography, but it is still a view you must at least take a quick stop at!Īs you drive up the 550 the Awa'awapuhi Trailhead parking lot will come up on the left hand side of the road. The second stop we made along the 550 was the Waipo'o Falls Lookout, which was a gorgeous view of the amazing Waipo'o Falls. I detail why each item has a spot in my backpack! If you would like expert gear recommendations for your next adventure check out the Ten Digit Grid Gear Locker. The views from here did not disappoint and I took a couple of my favorite pictures from our entire trip to Kauai. Our first stop on the way to the Awa'awapuhi trailhead was the Niihau Lookout. As you drive up the 550, Waimea Canyon Drive there are multiple look outs that you can stop at to take a look down into the beautiful Waimea Canyon. The Awa'awapuhi hike is amazing, but make sure you plan time for some quick stops on either your drive up to the trail or on the way back from the trail. I rotated the 3D Google Earth map so you can get a grasp of the ridgeline the Awa'awapuhi Trail follows down to overlook the Na Pali Coast. The Caltopo map above can be viewed and downloaded on Caltopo here.įor the 3D Google Earth map below I rotated it, so North is not at the top, which you can see in the compass in the top right. The first half of the trail which is all descending down to the lookout can be dangerously slippery. The day of our hike the weather cleared up, but this trail is on the rainy side of the island and the trail was extremely muddy and slick.
When we went on this hike, it was a pretty rainy week in Kauai. If you are not prepared to hike round trip 6 miles, with 3 of those miles being a constant climb up 2k feet in elevation, do not attempt this trail.Įlevation and distance is not the only thing to consider when hiking the Awa'awapuhi Trail, weather conditions will also greatly affect your experience on this trail. The key thing to note on this hike is that you will be dropping about 2k feet in elevation from the start of the hike at the Awa'awapuhi Trailhead to the lookout point, which means to get back to your car you have to hike back out 2k feet in elevation. The Awa'awapuhi Trail starts at around 4k feet in elevation and guides you through a brillant forest with sweeping views of the Na Pali Coast down to just below 2.5k feet. Beyond that, the trail is significantly easier as it heads towards Awaawapuhi, occasionally providing you some incredibly scenic lookouts on your left into Nualolo Valley.The Awa'awapuhi Trail is about a 6 mile out and back hike through Kokee State Park on the Island of Kauai. To say it's along the edge of a cliff is a literal fact, and while it's passable - extreme caution is needed during that short portion. As you leave the Nualolo Trail (likely just coming back from Lolo Vista Point), you'll notice the trail narrow and for a portion (about a quarter mile) you'll question your sanity for taking this trail to begin with.
Check out our map of the Nualolo Cliff Trail Loop.Īnother good reason to hike the loop clockwise is that you can decide early on if you want to experience the "cliff" portion of this trail. For the experienced hiker, plan an all-day loop hike down Nualolo Trail, along the Nualolo Cliff Trail, and back up Awaawapuhi Trail, or vice versa (though we recommend the first option). The Nualolo Cliff Trail begins between the 3-mile and 3.25-mile markers on the Nualolo Trail and meets the Awaawapuhi Trail near the 3 mile point. In fact, that's exactly how we recommend folks hike it. Consider the trail the "bridge" that connects the other two trails in a sort of giant loop. This trail's location means only the most dedicated adventurers will ever see it, as it's only accessible by hiking over three miles down the Nualolo Trail or the Awaawapuhi Trail. The Nualolo Cliff Trail is one of the most breathtaking hikes on the island of Kauai. NaPali Coast Hiking Trail Kokee and Waimea State Park
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