Hiking the Kuilau Trail | Kauai | August 2018 Initially we didn’t have any plans for our last few hours on Kauai. We thought we’d drive up as far as we could on the North shore. However, when traffic proved to be much heavier than expected, we decided to forgo that plan and instead just turned…
Hiking the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail | Poipu Kauai | August 2018 We began our third and final day of vacation by driving to Poipu, South of Koloa, where fancy resorts and condos line the beach. Our hike for the morning was the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail, beginning at the end of a cul-de-sac off of Pe’e…
Hiking in Koke’e State Park | Pihea Trail | August 2018 Perhaps the most controversial aspect of our trip to Kauai was the lack of time spent exploring the impressive Napali coast. Of course we knew all about the dramatic coast and the various ways one can experience it — it’s impossible to search for attractions, hikes,…
Backpacking Waimea Canyon | Hiking the Kukui Trail | August 2018 My biggest concern with choosing to visit Kauai over the Big Island was that it would be too much like Oahu. Sure, it has higher mountains, no major city, and way less people; the mountain ridges would be unique and some much more dramatic than…
Hiking to Nounou Mountain, aka Sleeping Giant | August 2018 We wanted to begin our time on Kauai with a short, easy hike that would give us good views of the island, and Nounou Mountain was the perfect choice. The trailhead begins relatively close to the airport so we were able to arrive early and get…
Hiking to Pu’u Pia | August 2018 Pu’u Pia is a short, easy hike in the Manoa Valley of Honolulu. While the summit stands beneath the much higher Ko’olau Mountains, it still offers views of the surrounding ridges, a peek into Honolulu and the ocean, and a walk through a lush tropical forest. As you…