This is the first stop of the Napali Coast trail – continue on another 5 miles into the ancient Kalalau Valley, which was inhabited as recently as the early 1900s. Take a break after your hike into Hanakapi’ai before hiking upstream to really nice mountain pool at the base of a waterfall. WARNING!!! Though the river may seem very clean, there have been isolated cases of hepatitis due to unclean practices of some of the "nature people" that like to frequent the area. Avoid swimming in the river with open cuts and you should be okay.
WHERE IT IS: A couple of bays west of Ke’e Beach at the end of the road on the North Shore.
HOW TO GET THERE: This beach is only accessible by a 2-mile hike along the Napali Coast. Take Kuhio Highway north until it ends at Ke’e Beach – about 35 miles from Lihue Airport.
WHEN TO GO THERE: Late spring to mid-fall, when the waves are down. In fact, this is one of the several North Shore beaches that can literally disappear after a couple of large winter swells.
WHAT TO DO THERE: Due to the hike required to get to this beach, you won’t see any surfers/bodyboarders here. In the past, there were many nude sunbathers here. However, this activity has declined with the growing popularity of these trails along with the recent crackdown on this activity.