Alakai Swamp Trail
Photo Credit: Kelvin Lu
Alakai swamp trail

**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**

Monitor local surf and weather reports prior to your park visit. 

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[MAUI] UPDATED 11/2/24 – Kaumahina State Wayside Park: CLOSED until further notice for maintenance work.

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[OʻAHU] UPDATED 11/4/24 – Kaʻena Point State Park, Mokuleʻia Section: The 2024 Kaʻena Point permit and decal is being extended through 2025. You do not need to apply for a new permit now, you will be notified when applications open next year. Take good care of your decal, we cannot replace decals. Please remember to take rubbish bags home, do not leave it a the trash bins. 

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[KAUAʻI] UPDATED 11/4/24 – Waimea Canyon State Park/Kōkeʻe State Park: Paving will take place on Waimea Canyon Road leading into Puʻu Hinahina Lookout on Wednesday, November 6 limiting vehicle access into and out of the lookout parking lot from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Pedestrian access will remain open, and vehicles can access the lookout before and after the closure.

Alakai Swamp Trail

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    CAUTION: Deep mud and fog along trail.
    Trail Length 3.5 miles (one way)
    Time approx 3 hrs.
    Activity Pedestrian
    Difficulty Difficult
    Elevation Gain 329 ft
    Park Name Kōkeʻe State Park

    Route

    The trail starts at a parking and turnaround area 1/4 mile north of the Na Pali Kona Forest Reserve entrance sign. This trail leads across the Alakai Swamp through scrub native rain forest and shallow bogs. There are excellent opportunities for birding and botanizing. It ends at a vista called “Kilohana” on the edge of Wainiha Pali. On a clear day, the views of Wainiha and Hanalei Valleys provide for an unforgettable experience. If you hike this route, be sure to wear appropriate clothing. Portions of the trail are a boardwalk, and the trail is often wet, slippery and very muddy.

    Additional Info

    • No commercial use (Paid guides or ecotours) allowed within the Alakai and Pihea Trail and the Alakai Wilderness Preserve.
    • No commercial use allowed on the Alakai Swamp Trail.

    As of March 22, 2014, the Kauai recreational trail map is temporarily unavailable for distribution or purchase.

    Do not use any trail or access road that is not delineated by name and color and that may also be displayed on these maps. The marked features are managed for public recreational use. Other trails or roads that branch off from the public features may be on private property, and are not managed for any public recreational use. Access is subject to adjacent landowner approval, and if used without authorization, you will be trespassing and possibly putting yourself at risk.