Kalalau Beach is the mystical beach at the end of the trail, where adventurers and hippies alike find their Eden. The beach can only be reached by kayak or hiking the 11-mile Kalalau Trail, one of the most difficult trails in Hawaii and known as one of the most dangerous in the world.
The beach hosts a steady stream of adventurers seeking to get away from it all. The beach also hosts a community of semi-permanent and permanent hippies seeking to stay away from it all.
Sitting at the base of the Kalalau Valley, complete with a waterfall, the beach is as beautiful as it is rugged and remote.
At Kalalau Beach you can camp out with fellow free spirits and hike inland into the lush tropical forests of the valley. At night, marvel at a starry sky virtually untouched by artificial lights. It is one of the most remote and difficult places to reach in the United States, and also one of the most beautiful and rewarding. You will need a permit to visit, but don’t tell that to the hippies when you get there!
Kalalau Beach can also be seen on many Na Pali Coast cruises and on Kauai helicopter tours of the island.
Kalalau Beach is for experienced hikers only. The trail to get to the beach is tough and demanding and it includes a dangerous section known as Crawler’s Ledge, a narrow, rocky pathway along the sea cliffs. The trail to the beach is eleven miles in and eleven miles out. Visitors to the beach should bring sufficient supplies and have the necessary skills and fortitude required of the trek.
Typically, a trip to the beach takes a day to reach and a day to hike out. Visitors to the beach usually spend one to two days at the beach, camping in the trees behind the beach. Campers usually use either tents or hammocks for shelter and bedding.
Though the beach is not trashy, trash does accumulate in the camping areas. Visitors are urged to pack out all trash.
Sometimes, local residents on jet skis will transport visitors (and supplies) to and from the beach, charging as much as $500 a trip. This is an illegal activity and should be avoided.
Photos
Approaching the beach on the Kalalau Trail.
Kalalau Beach as seen from a Na Pali Coast cruise.
