Mahaulepu Lithified Cliffs
- barbara
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 4
- Reviews
-
7
- Photos
Gillan's Beach/Mahaulepu Beaches
- November 9, 2004
- Rated 4 of 5 by
vrp1483 from Enumclaw, Washington
You really have to follow a guidebook to find these beaches, but once you're there, they are spectacular. There's no other word for it. The trail to the beach is not difficult at all -- it's mostly flat. Once on the beach, you can go to the west and climb a trail to walk along the cliffs, if you want. The view from there is fabulous. The beach itself is usually deserted too. That little house is also available for rent as a bed-and-breakfast. If the wind is up, you'll likely get sandblasted here, but the sailboats and sailboards love it then.
From journal Heavenly Kauai Vacations
Day 2 - Kawailoa Bay
- August 7, 2004
- Rated 5 of 5 by
ext212 from New York, New York
Kawailoa Bay
by the Maha'ulepu Lithified Cliffs
Poipu, HI
There are plenty of beaches on the south shore, but Kawailoa Bay was the most rustic and the most private we visited. There were only a handful of people there and most of them were kite surfers. Besides their gear on the sand, we were alone on the beach. It was a good stop after hiking
the Maha'ulepu lithified cliffs [see separate entry] off Poipu Road.
From journal Kauai: without the proposal, the wedding or the honeymoon!
Editor Pick
Day 2 - Maha'ulepu Lithified Cliffs
- August 7, 2004
- Rated 5 of 5 by
ext212 from New York, New York
Maha'ulepu Lithified Cliffs
off Poipu Road
Poipu, HI
If you want to experience Kauai's natural history for the last 5 million years, you cannot miss the
lithified cliffs of Maha'ulepu. It is the last undeveloped coastline on southeast Kauai easily accessed by hikers and visitors. Its future is uncertain because developers are planning to build another golf resort in the area. It's too bad because there are burial remains in the sand dunes and the caves. There are also petroglyphs carved into the limestone ledges on the shoreline. It has been said that Captain Cook's official ship journals mentioned this part of the island during his exploration days. The cliff formations were formed over centuries.
It's an easy hike with little elevation change and once you get to the highest point, you will be rewarded with an ocean breeze. It's a very peaceful retreat and a great getaway from the crowds. When you come before summer, everything that surrounds you is green. We missed that but we still had beautiful photographs because the red cliffs showed beautifully in our prints. The waves violently crash against the cliffs and the height gets disorienting at times so be careful when you step on those sharp rocks. If you want to enjoy the water, you can always swim on Kawailoa Bay [see separate entry] after your hike.
From journal Kauai: without the proposal, the wedding or the honeymoon!
Editor Pick
Dirt paths leading to the Maha’ulepu Beaches
- June 6, 2000
- Rated 3 of 5 by
barbara from Atlanta, Georgia
The Maha’ulepu Beaches seemed more isolated than the others
we visited. While you can drive and park near them, we thought it would be nice to run to them instead. With light backpacks and running shoes on, we found the red dirt road leading to the beaches to be flat and fairly even. Dirt roads are great surfaces to run on, and the mountains loomed nicely in front of us. After passing a rock quarry on our right, we had to stop running and hike through the trees down to Gillin’s Beach. There was no one within immediate sight, and the water looked very cool and inviting.We stripped down to our bathing suits and waded into the water to cool off. We then walked down the beach to Kawailoa Bay. There were lots of black lava rocks in the water. There were some other people (you can park right beside Kawailoa if you drive your rental car down the dirt road) there, but no one was swimming. If you walked out into the surf in bare feet, your toes would get cut up, and the water was rough. We did not continue further (we had the run back to look forward to!), but we could have continued to hike towards Hu’ula Beach and then Kipu Kai Beach where some of the movie 'The Lost World' was filmed.
From journal A Week in Paradise