Planning your Kalalau trail hike and adventure - step by step

The main steps:

1. Understand the limits of your group and do your homework
2. Get your Kalalau trail and camping permit (we can help)
3. Book your AirBnb/Hotel, air tickets, etc
4. Figure out your Kalalau camping gear
5. Don't worry much and seek for pro help from Kevin 

1) Understand the limits of your group and do your homework

Hiking the 22-mile of Kalalau trail is not a simple task, quite the opposite. This big adventure is very tough on most people and many died attempting this hike. All these pictures from Na Pali and Kalalau are breathtaking and compelling, but we cannot be driven by emotion, especially when people’s lives are on the line. 

Everyone in your group should do their homework, be aware of all the risks of this adventure. If everyone is comfortable with this, then you can start evaluating a few more things:

• Have you ever hiked for 10 miles carrying 30 pounds of gear on your back?
• How about hiking with that on an elevation gain of more than 3,000 feet?
• Are you comfortable with very exposed terrain, many times slippery and exposed, meaning very steep cliffs without any protection. There's no room for error.

If your answer is no to any of these questions, we would advise you not to attempt this hike. Maybe go on a day hike on Kalalau trail to Hanakāpīʻai beach and/or falls or take a tour boat and it will be an amazing experience. 

Now moving forward and closing this topic, your group should consider:

• Physical Preparation: Prepare with regular hiking and cardio exercises to build endurance.
• Health Evaluation: Consult a doctor to ensure you're in good health for the hike, especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions.
• There is no easy way out from Kalalau. No boats, lifts, no cellphone signal. That being said, you must hike in and hike out. Kalalau trail is an experts only hike.

In summary, be prudent and understand yours and your group’s limits. 

2) Get your Kalalau camping permit

Once everyone is on the same page about the risks of this adventure, getting your Kalalau camping permit is the first thing you need to do since this is the more scarce resource for your Kaua'i trip. At the time of this writing, DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) sells permits 90 days in advance. Those become available every night at 12AM Hawai’i time, and they usually sell out in less than a minute during the busy season. That being said, if your main goal of this trip is hiking and camping at Kalalau, we suggest securing your permit first, and then booking everything else.

In order to successfully get your permit, you’ll have to beat the other folks competing with you at 12AM HST, 90 days before your check-in day. We recorded a short video showing how fast those permits are sold. You might be able do it on your own and we highly encourage you to try. However, if you don’t want to go through that hassle, waking up in the middle of the night to try to book it, or have already failed in your first (or second/ third) attempt, you can check out our booking service, where we can do it on your behalf. Click here and check our booking service now.

Once you have your camping permit ready, you’ll need to take care of parking and/or shuttle service. Unfortunately, we don’t offer these services at this moment, but you can do it by yourself through Go Hāʻena. It is much easier than booking your camping permit and there's options if you cannot book a parking permit.

Now thinking about the length of your stay at Kalalalu, we recommend 4 to 5 nights (5 nights is the max you can stay there) for your camping permit so you can make the most of this trip without any rush. The Kalalau Valley has trails, waterfalls, a community garden, so lots to explore there. Kalalau beach is also beautiful so you’ll also want to spend some time there. For the strong swimmers (if the rip current is not very strong), you can explore the other super secluded beach in Honopū Valley (south of Kalalau). Most groups will spend a whole day to hike in to Kalalau, and another one to hike out, so that's almost two full days you will not get to spend exploring the valley, so that’s another reason why we recommend 4 to 5 nights. 

Depending on the plan / energy of the group, you might want / need to stop at Hanakoa and camp there. Here’s a rough breakdown of how to plan your camping trip:

• Day 1: go directly to Kalalau with quick stops for water and snacks
• Hike starts around 7AM from the parking lot
• If you have a good pace you might complete the whole 11 miles in about 8 hours
• You might arrive at Kalalau beach campground between 2PM and 6PM (or more depending on the pace). Celebrate your arrival (you deserve it), set up your camp, get water, cook your dinner and relax
• Day 2: explore the Kalalau Valley
• The trail into the valley starts before the campground, but inside the valley, parts of the trail are hard to follow, so get ready for some bushwhacking. It will be a fun adventure! You will eventually reach the waterfalls and have some fun with the rope swing
• Day 3: explore and relax at Kalalau beach
• For the hardcore swimmers, go to Honopū beach early in the morning
• Day 4: leave before lunch and explore Hanakoa
• Start packing your stuff, and leave Kalalau before/around noon
• You should reach Hanakoa in less than 4 hours if you have a good pace
• Once you get there, just push to the Hanakoa falls (it will add another mile to your hike)
• After the falls, go back and set up camp at one of the 2 campgrounds
• There's lots of mosquitoes and pigs there. Be prepared.
• Day 5: leave early so you have time to explore Hanakāpīʻai falls
• Leave before 8AM
• Once you reach Hanakāpīʻai beach, decide with the group if they have energy to add another 4 miles to the hike (that will be the trail to Hanakāpīʻai falls) - at this point, there's still 2 miles left to go back to the trailhead!
• If they are up for it, do it. Another beautiful waterfall. If not, just finish the hike and enjoy Ke'e beach!

And don't forget to check out the beautiful sky at night. Stargazing is a must while staying there! As you can see, the plan above requires 4 nights, but the advantage is that there is no rush on any of these days. Each person will have their preferences and suggestions for similar plans and amount of days, budget etc, but that would be our ideal plan. We do not recommend doing a single night because most people will need some time for the body to recover from the tough hike that they just went through, and a weaker body (and mind) can put themselves in risky situations. Additionally, the best part is to enjoy the valley and 1 night will give you very little time to do that.

Last but not least, you should consider the time of the year to dive into this adventure. If possible, avoid the months between October and March. During this period the weather changes more drastically with strong frequency of rain / storms and bigger surf in ocean. All that can put your group in risky situations or disrupt your plans with closures on the trail. On the other hand, it should be easier for you to secure a permit because there is much lower demand.

The best time of the year would be between April and September, were there are lower chances of facing any closures or finding yourself stuck somewhere on the trail due to a flash flood.

3) Book your Airbnb/Hotel, air tickets, etc

Now you have your permit! Congrats! We are not going to expand much here. This is just the regular travel planning, finding a car rental, your air tickets, and your stay for the days you won’t be camping.

However, if you are a hiker like we are, here’s a list of other hikes we recommend around the island of Kaua’i:

• Pihea vista trail
• Gorgeous views of Kalalau Valley from the top of Na Pali
• Difficulty: moderate
• Canyon trail
• Gorgeous views of one of the Waimea Canyons - it's a must-do in our opinion
• Difficulty: moderate
• Nu'alolo trail
• Hike on one of the ridges of Na Pali with an amazing view at the end
• Difficulty: hard
• Awa'awapuhi trail
• Another ridge hike of Na Pali. The last section is super dangerous with huge drop offs on both sides
• Difficulty: hard
• Ho’opi’i falls trail
• Little forest hike going through two waterfalls
• Difficulty: moderate
• Hihimanu summit
• More like climbing or hard scramble with exposed faces and ropes - it's so much fun!
• Difficulty: very hard
• Maha'ulepu heritage trail
• Nice hike going through different beaches and cliffs by the ocean
• Difficulty: moderate
• Nounou (Sleeping giant)
• Another great hike. The final part has beautiful views and exposed cliffs
• Difficulty: hard 

4) Figure out your Kalalau camping gear

A general rule of thumb for backpacking is that your fully loaded backpack should not weigh more than 20% of your body weight. So if you weigh around 150 pounds, your backpack should not go beyond 30 pounds. Try to follow this so you preserve your body for this and other adventures.

Here’s what we usually bring for backpacking trips like this one, but if you want a more comprehensive guide, please check our blog post about gear for the Kalalau trail:

• Hiking poles
• Great for balancing, preventing sprained ankles, river crossing, spreading the weight of you back and using the power of your arms and shoulders to push you forward (or break). Remember, you are likely carrying about 20% more of your weight and it easier to lose balance.
• Microspikes
• There is a lot of discussions and controversy around them and I’m not jumping into that conversation here. Every time we bumped into folks on the trail they would say “oh, how smart of you bringing those” and the grip that we had in critical spots was simply unbelievable. In exposed hikes like Kalalau, microspikes are a safety gear. We highly recommend wearing them a bit before and after the Crawlers Ledge (around mile marker 7) which is a pretty sketchy spot.
• Headlamps and a collapsible solar lamp
• The solar lamp we use inside the tent and socializing in the campsite. The headlamps are useful when walking around the campgrounds (please use your red light to avoid disturbing your fellow campers)
• Gravity water filter, water bottles, and hanging cords
• We also bring extra plastic bags for water storage (one for unfiltered water and another for clean water). They are light and practical to use
• We bring ropes so we can hang the water bags and clothes to dry
• Tent, inflatable pillows, and inflatable sleeping pads
• Or your hammock setup, whatever suits you
• Portable stove and propane canister similar to JetBoil
• We have a generic version of JetBoil that works pretty well for a fraction of its cost.
• We also have compact cutlery for our cooking / eating set
• Compact quick drying towels
• We also bring a very light sarong for sitting on the beach, as clothing, light blanket, etc. They are truly multi-purpose
• Dry food, protein bars, and electrolytes
• Don’t forget to do your homework and measure the calories intake for every day 
• Some of the dry food servings are for 2 people, so review your contents when organizing your backpacks
• Lighter
• Just in case you need to light a fire or something else
• Ground coffee and portable filter
• We need coffee, so this a must. Again super compact and light
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, flushable wet wipes, and a first aid kit - remember to leave no trace!
• Sunglasses, cellphone (for photos), sunscreen, insect repellent
• Swiss army knife and swimming googles

5) Don't worry much and seek for pro help from Kevin

Your best option is reaching out to Kevin Schwoebel who lives on the island. Call or text to (973) 769-8854. You can also email him at criticaltoys@gmail.com. He offers transportation services, storage for your luggage, planning for the hike, local recommendations, gear rental, emergency services, and has lots of experience of Kaua'i, Kalalau, and the local community. Kevin is well known in online the community too. Don't hesitate to reach out to him.

Closing thoughts

This is always important to remember and highlight, so lets list it here:

• Respect Local Culture: Be mindful of the local culture, traditions, and customs. Show respect to the land, its history, and the indigenous people of Hawai'i.
• Follow Regulations: Adhere to all camping and hiking regulations, including Leave No Trace principles. Respect the environment and wildlife.
• Leave No Trace: Practice responsible camping by leaving the area as you found it. Minimize your impact on the environment by disposing of waste properly and respecting the natural habitat.
• Guidebooks and Websites: Gather information from guidebooks, online resources, and forums where experienced hikers share tips and insights about the Kalalau Trail.
• Local Guidance: Seek advice from locals, park rangers, or experienced hikers who have completed the Kalalau hike.

By thoroughly researching, planning ahead, and ensuring you're well-equipped and informed, you can have a memorable and safe trip to Kalalau on the Na Pali Coast of Kaua'i. Always prioritize safety and environmental responsibility during your adventure.

We hope you find this content useful and wish you all the best :)

Disclaimer: the information contained in this blog post is for general reference and educational purposes only. GoKalalau give no warranty, expressed or implied as to the accuracy or reliability of this information. Outdoor recreation activities (including hiking and backpacking the Kalalau Trail) are dangerous and are associated with a high level of risk. Potential hazards can lead to personal injury or death. Proper planning, physical conditioning and gear selection are essential to safely participate in all outdoor activities. All users of this site assume full responsibility for their own actions and personal safety while hiking and/or backpacking any trail. Site users are responsible for evaluating the information and making their own decisions during the planning stages and on the trail.