Kalepa Ridge overlooks the shoreline of the east coast of Kauai between the Wailua River and Hanamaulu. The highest point on the ridge is 709 feet so there is a short steep climb on an access road to the south end of the ridge. From there the ridge route (informal trail) goes north to a point overlooking the Wailua River.

From the initial rough road the route varied from trench to bare rock to forest path.

Ironwoods crown the ridge and windward slopes along the route.

Eroded rock and barren ridges near the north end of the hike.

From the end of the ridge we could see Lydgate Park, Wailua Golf Course, Nukoli’i Park, and the ocean.

We picked this route since it was a greyish, rainy day and we were looking for a shorter hike but it turned out to be about 8 km return and a pleasant hike. We just followed Hulei Road to the end and started hiking. Some sources suggest permission is needed to do this hike but we saw no signs and there were some dirt bikes on the south end of the hills so hikers can decide what to do on their own.