The Alakai’i Swamp Trail starts at the end of the road.  On the island of Kauai the roads end at either end of the Na Pali Coast and one road runs up onto the central mountain, climbing the west side hills onto a ridge overlooking Waimea Canyon. Glimpses of red-orange-coral rock caught the eye while we wound our way toward the rain forests of Kokee State Park.   A swampy jungle fills the giant basin beyond, the caldera of an old volcano under the wettest spot on the planet.  At the end of the road, we parked and started hiking along the Pihea Trail.

The Kokee Road ends on a narrow ridge, the rim of the caldera between the cliffs of the Na Pali and the Alakai’i Swamp below.  Along the Pihea Trail, the views on the left (to the north) were of the famed Kalalau Valley.

Kalalau Valley

The trail is frequently wet and muddy and caution must be taken on all slopes.   The route climbs steeply to Pihea Point, but the Alakai’i Swamp Trail is a right turn at the junction, a winding downhill single track into the wet jungle.

A boardwalk covered in mesh wire was the main trail surface for the next 3 miles.   Stepping off the walkway is usually into swamp.    Ferns, jungle trees and shrubs, ephiphytes, and vines line the pathway as it wound its way down into a creek valley and then up wooded ridges to a higher swampy plateau.

A few o’hia flowers were in bloom along the final part of the trail as we worked our way over to the edge of the Na Pali cliffs.

ohia lehua

The end of the trail was the Kilohana Lookout.   The windward North Shore of Kauai is only 11 kilometers below.   The crescent shape of Hanalei Bay is easy to identify.

Hanalei Bay from the Kilohana Viewpoint

The Alakai’i Swamp Trail is an out-and-back 8 mile hike through the world’s highest rainforest bog, a unique hike that we have now done four times.

• Sliding in the Alakai’i Swamp
• Alakai’i Swamp Trail