Kaua’i makes a compelling case for the most beautiful place on Earth.
It was a time of joy and excitement. The seniors were celebrating 40 years of marriage. The newlyweds were celebrating their first pregnancy. As for Kent and I (the juniors), well, we were just celebrating life, as usual! When we met Kent’s family in Kaua’i, the stage was set for a great time in paradise.
It was my first visit to these far-flung islands and, on the airplane, I could not stop looking out the window! It was a thrilling time: we were sandwiching this family getaway between a victorious race in Laos and a 100k in the Philippines. Obviously April 2019 was one of the bests month of my life!
And not only mine! There was a lot of great stuff going on for all of us, and that made for a wonderful time together. Plus, the setting was truly sublime!
I caught sight of Kaua’i from the sky! It was unmistakable: a rugged green jewel rising up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We flew over it to O’ahu, transferred to a smaller plane, turned around and came back. I knew we were in for a real treat before we ever set foot on The Garden Isle.
Trail Running: Kaua’i Edition
To keep our legs fresh between our races, we needed to run. And we soon discovered that Kaua’i is a really special place to do so. We did one or two casual runs on the nearby beach. But for longer efforts, we headed to Okolehau Trail.
Longer, and harder efforts! After a sweaty scramble up steep slopes slick with mud, we reached an expansive viewpoint. Although we’d only ventured a few kilometers, we had views out to the coast and over to the rugged Bali Hai cliffs of Makana Mountain.
On our first few outings, we ventured only this far. But then we heard from a hiker that the trail continued. So too did we, on our very next run!
It was more than we bargained for. Hawai’i’s trails topped even Laos’ for sheer verticality, as well as jungle density. Soon after our lookout, we were lost in a thicket of foliage, with only a whisper of a trail at our feet.
But this was indeed a trail! Only trails have ropes. And this one had a dangling, five meter section up a slippery crack in the greenery. I hauled my way up, at times flat on my belly against the cliff, wondering all the while whether or not getting down the same way was even going to be an option.
Shortly after reaching this little summit, we lost the trail completely in the lush jungle and had to retrace our steps. It was a slightly harrowing adventure – but an intimate encounter with Kaua’i’s biota!
Scenic Hiking: Kaua’i Edition
Somehow, we convinced the whole fam-jam to join us on an incredibly scenic hike! We left the green side of the island behind and drove into a surprisingly desert-like area of red rocks and sand. This was the famous Waimaea Canyon!
It was hard to make progress on this most scenic of drives. To the right was the canyon itself, which began innocently enough but soon dramatically demanded our attention. To the left was a crystal clear river carving its way through a slice of cinder-colored stone. We would park and explore, drive until someone started exclaiming again, then repeat the process.
Several amazing overlooks later, we made it to Koke’e State Park and set off on our hike proper.
A broad service road led us gently down and around. Eventually, this narrowed into a dirt trail that led us to another overlook – but this time we were on the opposite side of the canyon!
The exciting trail continued along the edge of the canyon before dropping down to a hidden waterfall. We climbed onto sun-warmed boulders and lounged like a family of lizards before breaking out the picnic.
On the water: Kaua’i Edition
One thing we love to do is explore a place by water. This is especially true if we’re visiting an island, and doubly so if there are kayaks for rent nearby! And on this trip, we added to the fun by bringing everyone along with us!
Kent and I liked the liquid trails so much we went out for a second paddle later the same day. On this second paddle, we followed a turtle around – at a respectful distance.
I even snuck up reasonably close to a wild nene on one landing!
Which leads me to…
Wildlife: Kaua’i Edition
One of the highlights for me was the variety of wildlife we got to see on this trip! We encountered dolphins and whales on a boat ride, and there are more wild chickens on land than there are humans.
Although not strictly wild, we had some great interactions with other birds at the Smith Family Garden and I enjoyed strolling amongst the different trees and flowers.
Perhaps best of all, there are little lizards everywhere!
Scenery: Kaua’i Edition
Kaua’i’s scenery is stunning. It’s all the reason you need to go there.
If all that you’ve seen so far of the stunning natural scenery hasn’t convinced you yet, maybe this might. The famed and fantastic Kalalau Trail was closed during our visit: but that just meant we had to return (and we did!).
Find the door closed? Open a window. Instead of running or hiking the Na Pali, we went on an afternoon cruise to see it from the sea. And this was one of the best things I have ever done.
The boat was outrageously fun. I lounged in hammock at the front of the boat, getting splashed by the surf and eye-level views of dolphins leaping alongside us. The sapphire water and jade cliffs were absolutely dreamy.
Then we rounded a corner, and caught sight of the Na Pali for the first time. It’s surreal beauty completely defies description. It was straight-up magical.
Refueling: Kaua’i Edition
On a somewhat less transcendent but perhaps equally important note is Kaua’i’s awesome cuisine! We stocked up on great American groceries (always a treat for us!) for staples, but we found ourselves drawn out for treats more often than not.
One night we had artisan Asian fusion, and we dropped in for a local Hawaiian spin on Mexican several times. There was the best little smoothie bowl/shave ice place right next to our rental home. And one time we went out for the world’s best vegan yogurt creations!
Play hard, eat well is what I always say!
Recharging: Kaua’i Edition
With beauty around every corner, you don’t actually even need to do anything to enjoy this gorgeous place! A lot of time was spent enjoying the view of the mountains towards the interior of the island. And just as much time was spent on this beautiful beach!
Have you been to Hawai’i? What an incredible place! If you’ve not yet been, you’re going to want to go. Kent and I got just a taste of the place during our five day stay in Kaua’i – and that was enough to convince us to move there a handful of years later!
That’s all on Kaua’i, folks! Want more Hawai’i? There’s a page for that! Looking for more in the US? Check out this page, dedicated to the United States of Adventures! There’s all kinds of other hikes and scenery in a score of national and state parks. Happy trails, wherever you are!