Kauai has some of the finest hiking trails in all of Hawaii. You can hike trails leading into the wettest spot on earth at Wai’ale’ale Crater, or you can hike across the world’s highest swamp in Alaka’i (which is a lot more fascinating than the name implies). You can hike up a giant’s back on the Nounou trail or cut across the entire island via the Powerline trail. You can hike trails into the beautiful Waimea Canyon, dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” by Mark Twain. Other trails take you out onto the ridges of the Na Pali coast overlooking the beautiful valleys, vistas and shoreline below. Or you can hike along this rugged terrain via the Kalalau Trail – a trail stretching 11 miles along some of the most diverse topography anywhere on the island; diverse enough to earn the trail a 9/10 in difficulty by the Sierra Club.
