I loved the Alakai swamp trail all the way to the lookout - spectacular but will take you about 5 hours roundtrip

Have no clue as to what a 4000 is...as far as hiking new england.

However, our trails here have been qite wet and muddy, and hopefully will be dried out when you arrive.

You sound like an avid treker, so would suggest also the awa awa puhi, cliffs , nualolo loop trail. With the walk back to the trailhead at awa awapuhi, or vice versa...about 11 miles.

apparently you have already red up on the other two.

If you can pack your hiking boots, it would be a good idea, otherwise, sturdy beater tennis shoes would be in the ok category.

Also, there is a load of info in the UKG, as well as kauai hiking. Both references will be quite useful.

I just saw about the same length...for a different trail, and on the east side...try Sleeping Giant. Three different traiheads.

Take Haleilio Road, off the main high way, near the wailua river. Just follow it to the base of the mountain, and you can see the trail head and parking lot.

Read up on this in the guide book , and see what you think. Dry conditions is a good plan.

Denny

I love both of the hikes you mentioned. Both are moderate to strenuous and could be dangerous in stormy weather. You might want to come up with a couple of options away from streams and rivers though, just in case there are flash flood warnings in effect while you are here.

Hiking up to Hanakapiai Falls is a great experience, but please do listen to to any weather alerts which could make that hike dangerous. Any hike along a river or stream bank could be deadly in a flash flood. Likewise spending much time at the river at the bottom of the Kukui Trail.

A good backup hike for your list might include the Awa'awapuhi Trail, which is pretty safe in rainy weather. It's not very strenuous unless you are pairing it with the Cliff Trail for a loop. Another good, fairly easy hike for rainy days is the Kuilau Ridge Hike.

I'm not saying that it will rain on your vacation, but there is always that possibility, especially in January. Have fun!

Before kids, we hiked the Awa'awapuhi Trail in Kokee State Park. This trail takes you away from the canyon to some incredible vistas of the Napaili Coast. It's rated as "Strenuous" but we took plenty of water and a picnic lunch and spent a wonderful day hiking. This was in February 1993.

kauaiexplorer.com/hiking_kauai/awaawapuhi_hi…

p.s. We've also hiked Kalalau to the falls several times and the Awa'awapuhi Trail is not anymore difficult, in my opinion.

For a 3rd hike suggestion and not as hard look up details on Maha'ulepu trail... its along the coast near the Hyatt in Poipu and its gorgeous!

I loved it so much I think I'm going to have to hike it every time I visit now.

Its super pretty!

J

I have hiked some of the High Peaks in the Adirondacks and Vermont. I believe the trails in the Northeast can be technically more difficult than in Kauai. Let's use Mt. Mansfield from Stowe via the Long Trail and Camel's Hump from the south side also by way of the Long Trail as examples. Hopefully you may have gone up 1 or both of these. They have significantly steep stretches with rock scrambling.

This is about where the comparison between VT and Kauai ends because the terrain is vastly different. The footing in Kauai is uneven due to the nature of the crumbling volcanic clay which becomes very slippery when wet. Obviously you are in a tropical environment so you won't have to worry about snow, freezing temperatures and 40 MPH winds like we experienced on top of Camel's Hump on Memorial Day.

As Denny suggested, the Awaawapuhi, Cliff and Nualolo loop trail might be closer to what you're accustomed to. It features steep areas, a lot of exposure and great vistas. It provides a sharp contrast to the views seen on the Kukui and Canyon trails in the Waimea Canyon. The trail heads to all 3 of these are fairly close to one another.

If you are really ambitious and the conditions are good you can do what I did:

Hike to Waipoo falls on the Canyon trail with a view of Waimea Canyon. Instead of returning the same way as most other people do, continue across the falls ascending the Canyon cliff with more great views. This becomes a circular hike by combining a few trails along the way. A good description of this appears in Kauai Trails by Kathy Morey. Then for dessert, scamper halfway down or more(to the tree line) on the Kukui trail and back.

At the end of the day you will have earned a cold one at the brewpub at the Plantation Cottages in Waimea.