Kaua'i - Hawaii - page 1031

These trails offer the best of the best. The Awaʻawapuhi Trail (3.25 miles) and the more
challenging Nuʻalolo Trail (3.75 miles) are continuously maintained, while the Honopu
Trail (2.5 miles) requires a guide. Yet all afford unforgettable vistas along 2000ft cliffs
over the Na Pali Coast.
If you're undecided as to which trail to take, the Awaʻawapuhi Trail is the least tech-
nical - though there are some steep steps where you might find yourself hugging a tree.
At the end you'll reach a breathtaking view, just beyond the tree line, of the Na Pali cliffs
below (much like the 'Cliffs of Insanity' featured in The Princess Bride ).
To be sure, the Nuʻalolo Cliff Trail is steeper than Awaʻawapuhi Trail, though argu-
ably each requires the same amount of grit and endurance. To do this 11-mile hike as a
loop, begin with the Nuʻalolo Trail (the trailhead is just south of Kokeʻe Museum), hike
to the bottom of the ridge and keep your eyes out for a sign that says 'Nuʻalolo Cliff
Trail.' Follow that right, scaling rocks and cutting through tall, eye-level grass, back up
through several switchbacks, up along a ridge until it intersects with the Awaʻawapuhi
Trail, another signed intersection. Make a right following the Awaʻawapuhi Trailhead on
Kokeʻe Rd. Turn right and walk alongside Kokeʻe Rd back to Nuʻalolo Trailhead
roughly 0.75 miles.
The Honopu Cliffs Trail (2.5 miles each way) is arguably one step up - though when
trafficking in this kind of beauty and recreation, everyone wins. It's certainly less well-
known and harder to find, as the trailhead is unsigned. You'll see a turn out, just after a
major curve past mile marker 17 on left hand side of Kokeʻe Rd coming from the lodge.
That's the entry point of a trail that snakes between thick fern banks and various itera-
tions of the archetypal Dr Seuss trees that peek above the scrub, before emerging onto a
thin ridge that runs along striated cliffs with sheer walls erupting on both sides. The
deeper you venture out, the further north you'll see. In fact, on clear days you can see all
the way to the Keʻe reef at the foot of the twin spires of Mt Makana in Haʻena. Like
those above, the footing isn't always easy, but the pay off is massive.
Cliff & Canyon Trails HIKING
The Cliff Trail (0.1 miles) is a relatively easy walk for the rewarding Waimea Canyon
views it offers. The Canyon Trail (1.7 miles) continues from there. You'll go down a
semi-steep forested trail that opens up to a vast, red-dirt promontory with cliffs to one
side and charming log-steps to guide you further. Shortly thereafter it takes some steep
finagling to get to Waipoʻo Falls .
To get to the trailhead, walk down Halemanu Rd for just over 0.5 miles. Keeping
Halemanu Stream to your left, ignore a hunting trail on the right. Then turn right onto