Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [470]
Parking at the clearing at the trailhead, the trail begins as a wide grassy path for roughly 0.5 miles where the boardwalk begins and continues through small bogs and intermittent forests until you reach the Alaka′i Crossing, where the Pihea and Alaka′i Swamp trails intersect. Continuing straight through the crossing, the boardwalk becomes a series of steep steps to the Kawaikoi Stream and a steep series of switchbacks up the other side. Past there the boardwalk is relatively flat, continuing through the almost otherworldly terrain of the Hawaiian Bogs of knee-high trees and tiny endemic carnivorous plants.
The boardwalk ends at Kilohana Lookout, where, with a little bit of luck, you will see views of Wainiha Valley, and beyond to Hanalei Bay.
KAWAIKOI STREAM TRAIL
Go to Sugi Grove by going down Camp 10 Rd (4WD only) and crossing Kawaikoi Stream. It’s a nice little nature walk that follows the stream through the forest and rises up on a bluff at the end of the stream and then loops around back down to the stream at a cold dark swimming hole and then returns you back to where you started.
Festivals & Events
Hula halau from all over Hawaii participate in the one-day Eo e Emalani I Alaka′i (335-9975; www.kokee.org/details.html), an outdoor dance festival at Koke′e Museum in early October that reenacts the historic 1871 journey of Queen Emma to Alaka′i Swamp. The festival includes a royal procession, hula, music and crafts.
Sleeping & Eating
For camping options, Click here.
Koke′e State Park Cabins (335-6061; cabin $50) Minimally maintained, the 12 cabins are for folks seeking a remote, rustic and somewhat grimy experience. Chalk it up to reliving dorm life (minus the phone, TV or loud music). All cabins include a double and four twin beds, kitchen, shower, wood stove (your only heat source), linens and blankets.
YWCA Camp Sloggett (245-5959; www.campingkauai.com; campsites per person $15, dm $25, 1br cabin $85) Choose either a cabin or bunkhouse, or camp on the grass. The cabin has a king bed, full kitchen, bathroom and woodburning fireplace, while the bunker has a kitchenette, two bathrooms and a fire pit. You provide the sleeping bags and towels. To tent camp, no reservations are needed.
Koke′e Lodge (335-6061; snacks $3-7; 9am-3:30pm) This restaurant’s strong point is convenience. Still, convenience goes a long way up in Koke′e, where you’re a 30-minute drive away from other dining out options. Expect cereal, diner-food and a gift shop with souvenirs and a small assortment of sundries for sale if you forgot toiletries
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PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT
On June 15, 2006, President Bush declared the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) the USA’s first Marine National Monument. Encompassing around 140,000 sq miles and containing 33 islands and atolls, it is now the largest protected marine area in the world, seven times larger than all US marine sanctuaries combined.
The NWHI begin about 155 miles northwest of Kaua′i and stretch for 1200 miles. They contain the largest and healthiest coral-reef system in the US, which is home to 7000 marine species. Half of fish species and a quarter of all species are endemic to Hawaii, and new species are discovered on every scientific voyage. NWHI is also a rare ‘predator-dominated ecosystem,’ in which sharks, groupers and others make up over 50% of the biomass (compared to 3% in the main Hawaiian islands). The islands also support around 14 million seabirds, including 19 species of native seabirds, and they are the primary breeding ground for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Click here) and green sea turtles.
However, the islands are not absolutely pristine. Pacific Ocean currents bring an estimated 45 to 60 tons of debris to the islands annually, and cleanups from 1998 to 2008 have removed over 560 tons