Kauai: Kalalau Valley & The Na Pali Cliffs

The Kalalau Trail is very different from its Waimea Valley cousin, yet it still hosts some of the most spectacular views in the Hawaiian Islands. The Kalalau Valley stretches more than 4,000 feet up from the Pacific Ocean. Once they have seen the Kalalau Valley, visitors have no questions about why Kauai was nicknamed the Garden Isle. On the sides of this spectacular stretch of green the etched mountains rise out of the sea, with waterfalls cascading into the valley floor. The lookout peers down the Kalalau Valley to the sea and, dividing the valley from the mighty blue Pacific beyond, you can see a tiny ribbon of sand. The Kalalau Trail traces this sandy stretch over 10 miles back and forth through one of the most incredible areas of beauty nature ever created. When hikers talk about exploring Kauai, they are usually talking about seeing the uninhabited valleys of this Na Pali Coast. The Kalalau Trail to the beach at the end of the cliffs is the most exhilarating walk on the island.