Getting to Kalalau Beach: By Kayak or on Foot

The Kalalau Trail is 11 miles from the trailhead at Ha'ena to Kalalau Beach, crossing five valleys on the way. Two miles gets you to Hanakapi'ai Beach; six gets you to Hanakoa; the last five are the ones people talk about.

DLNR's own description of that final stretch is worth reading before you commit: portions of the trail are very narrow and the drop-off on the ocean side is severe, and they advise extreme caution, especially in wet weather. The section hikers call Crawler's Ledge — a nickname, not an official name, around mile seven — is the part that ends up on the internet.

It is a magnificent hike and people do get hurt on it. Go in with the right experience or do not go.

Kalalau is about three hours of paddling from Ha'ena. That is the easy part to describe and the harder part to do — it is open ocean, and it demands the same fitness as any Na Pali day trip.

The landing is the thing to respect. Kalalau can carry heavy shorebreak, which makes landings and launches genuinely tricky. Miloli'i, five hours down the coast, has a channel through the reef and is usually straightforward.

The reason to do it anyway is capacity. A double kayak carries what a backpack cannot: proper food, a real tent, water filtration, enough of everything that a week on that beach stops being an endurance event and starts being a holiday. Be sensible — the lighter the boats, the easier the paddle — but the difference is enormous.

We guide the paddle and we outfit the trip. Na Pali Kayak is one of three kayak companies DLNR lists as permitted to land passengers at Miloli'i Beach, May through September. We supply the kayaks, paddles, PFDs, dry bags and van shuttles, and we rent the camping gear if you would rather not fly a tent across the Pacific.

We cannot get you a permit — DLNR issues those to you directly, and its rules prohibit commercial uses inside State Parks except by special permit. You hold the permit and you camp on your own; we get you and your gear down the coast. Call us and we will tell you exactly what we can and cannot do for your dates.

Multi-day trips run two to seven days. Call us on (808) 826-6900 once you have your dates — permits move fast enough that it is worth a conversation before you commit.