Awa'awapuhi Trail

The Awa'awapuhi Trail delivers one of the most spectacular viewpoints in all of Hawaii, ending at a narrow ridge 2,500 feet above the Na Pali Coast at the head of the Awa'awapuhi and Nualolo valleys. The final few hundred feet traverse an exposed knife-edge ridge where the land drops away on three sides to sheer green cliffs plunging into the Pacific. The trail descends through dense native ohia and koa forest rich with native birds including the brilliant red apapane and the endangered pueo owl. Along the descent, the vegetation shifts from highland cloud forest to native shrubland as the trail drops toward the coast-facing ridgeline. This is one of the premier hikes on Kauai and arguably in the entire Hawaiian Islands, combining ancient rainforest, endemic wildlife, and vertiginous coastal scenery in a single challenging day hike. The views from the end point are often described as among the most dramatic on the planet, with cathedral valley walls and the blue Pacific visible far below.