Hiking the Hānakoa Falls Trail on Kauaʻi’s Nāpali Coast
Distance (Roundtrip): 1.0 miles / 1.6 km
The Hānakoa Falls Trail is one of three different day hikes that branch off the 11-mile (17.7 km) Kalalau Trail, which includes Hanakāpīʻai Falls, Hānakoa Falls, and the Kalalau Valley Trail in order from east to west.
That being said, the Hānakoa Falls Trail is not typically a day hike that begins from Hāʻena State Park, as day hiking the trail would require an overnight Kalalau permit to do it legally, being that there are no day-use permits issued for the Kalalau Trail.
Rather, Hānakoa Falls is typically hiked either on the way to or from Kalalau Beach, with many hikers choosing to skip the side trail altogether unless they had planned for a night or two in Hānakoa Valley.
What I mean is that I’ve hiked up to Hānakoa Falls more than once without ever spending the night in Hānakoa Valley, and I can say from experience that adding an additional mile onto an already long day on the trail is typically an unpopular opinion.
However, if you’re doing the entire Kalalau Trail in one day, I highly recommend hiding your big bags off the trail, taking any valuables with you, and walking up the Hānakoa Falls Trail because the beautiful, towering waterfall is worth the effort—especially because it makes for a nice break when you get your big bag off your back!
How to Get Kalalau Trail Permits?
Kalalau Trail permits can be purchased up to 90 days in advance, and being that the Nāpali Coast is one of the most competitive camping permits in Hawaiʻi, it’s best to reserve your permits right when they are released—which is especially true over any holiday weekend.
Note that only the first date of your trip needs to be at least 90 days out, meaning 91 days and beyond can be reserved on the same permit, so long as the dates are consecutive.
Book Here: Nāpali Coast Wilderness State Park Permits
My Hawaiʻi Hiking Checklist
Obviously, for camping, you will need general backpacking gear. For this reason, I wrote a separate post about what backpacking gear is worth the money, from my experience, and what the best alternatives are to save you money.
Read My Separate Post: Best Ultralight Backpacking Gear
In addition, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike on Kauaʻi.
Hiking the Hānakoa Falls Trail
The Hānakoa Falls Trail begins on the west side (Kalalau side) of the Hānakoa Stream, which is roughly 5-6 miles (8.0-9.7 km) from either direction, whether you choose to hike it on your way to or from Kalalau Beach.
This is exactly why many hikers view the Hānakoa Valley campsites as the 'halfway' point on the Kalalau Trail.
While it may seem like the hike should be fairly straightforward, the Hānakoa Falls Trail can be a bit tricky to follow, especially in the beginning where the gulch is the widest.
By this, I mean there are a number of unmarked, vague splits in the trail, such as the one below, where the correct trail is the less obvious path to the right, not the more obvious trail on the left.
Again, here’s a second instance where the correct trail is the path on the right, not left.
Toward the end of the hike to Hānakoa Falls, the trail traverses a hillside high above the Hānakoa Stream, where you need to be careful not to fall.
The slope to the left is steeper than it may seem in these photos.
Hānakoa Falls
After just 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the Kalalau Trail junction, the trail ends at the 300-ft. (91 m) Hānakoa Falls.
However, the total height, which can be seen when entering into Hānakoa Valley from the east, is reported to be about 1,000 ft. (305 m) tall!
All said, Hānakoa Falls can be a great place to swim, take a break from the Kalalau Trail, or add a small adventure to your day if you choose to spend the night in Hānakoa Valley. However, it’s important to know that rockfall can be common in areas, like Hānakoa Falls, as I have seen one narrowly miss someone swimming in the pool at Hanakāpīʻai.
Native Plants on the Hānakoa Falls Trail
Being that the Hānakoa Falls Trail is so short and that the Kalalau Trail is heavily invaded with non-native species, the hike to Hānakoa Falls unfortunately features relatively few native species.
That being said, endemic Lama trees, also called Ēlama, dominate many parts of Hānakoa Valley, and being the case, I think that the valley is one of the best places to look for these beautiful trees across the entire 11-mile (17.7 km) trail.
If you would like to know more about these and tons of other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
