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Alakai Swamp Trail
After two miles on the Pihea Trail is the junction with Alakai Swamp Trail. The scenery drastically changes from open valley to rainforest as you head into Alaka‘i Swamp, the world’s highest rainforest and swampland fed by the abundant precipitation on Wai‘ale‘ale’s slopes. The trail is said to be the highlight of many visitors’ journeys to the island, and it’s one of our favorite hidden gems as well. As a bonus, in the last few years the trail has been greatly enhanced with boardwalks. No longer do hikers have to trudge through the mud to reach the magical lookout of Kilohana at the end of the journey.
To help clarify this junction and the two trails, we've created three maps below: one is a Pihea Trail map alone, one a Alakai Swamp Trail map alone, and one that shows the preferred route that combines the two (from Pu`u o Kila at the end of Highway 550 to Kilohana lookout), here known as the Pihea and Alakai Junction Trail map.
Kokee and Waimea State Park
Don't forget to check our Koke'e State Park Hiking page for information on all the incredible trails inside the park. On that page we've also posted a map of the entire area (Koke'e and Waimea State Parks) for you to download and print out at home.
Kokee and Waimea State Park
Don't forget to check our Koke'e State Park Hiking page for information on all the incredible trails inside the park. On that page we've also posted a map of the entire area (Koke'e and Waimea State Parks) for you to download and print out at home.
Trail Difficulty: Strenuous
Distance: 8 miles RT to Kilohana Lookout (first and last two miles along Pihea trail)
Location: Alakai Swamp Trail is located in the West Kauai Region
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Response by: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/09/2008 at 02:45 AM
Wow! We brought our two man pup tent with us into the swamp, thinking we could endure a night or two in the wettest place on this earth. My wife and I are fairly new and naive about our camping capabilities, so we had no idea what horrors we were subjecting ourselves to in the chaos of an intense down wash. Too late to turn back, we realized by 11;00pm that our little tent would not protect us from severe flooding. Horizontal rain ripped our cheap tent fly open and water sliced our skin with a fury I can not describe. In our mortal fear, we clung to each other, hoping for a let-up from the onslaught. A wetsuit, snorkel, and face mask would have been appropriate in this siege of slimy mud and unanticipated cold. A prehistoric reptile would have died from this, I sure, and the folowing morning we limped back to our rental car, totally spent, ehausted, and chastened. I am here to tell you: Don't camp out in this swamp!
Response by: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/10/2009 at 04:04 PM
this is a good source because like i am learing about this in school
Response by: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/10/2010 at 05:21 PM
I hiked the swamp trail and I am not an experianced hiker. It was GREAT!! Very difficult but I was able to do it! It was misting the whole time but who cares?! It was really fun and beautiful. Be sure to pack lot's of water and munchies. This is a great website, I am looking forward to hiking many more trails. The west side of the island is my favorite! Njoy! code 7272
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