Kuilau trail

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The Kuilau Trail is a great walk for enjoying the many species of plant life on Kauai. Follow the old road that turns into a trail that leads you to amazing panoramas of Makaleha Mountains. The beginning of the trail will introduce you to a variety of native and non-native plants. At about the one mile point you can take a break in a grassy field bordered by an Ohia forest, a picnic table and sweeping views of lush valleys and Mount Waialeale and the Makaleha Mountain Range.

The Kuilau Trail connects here to an east route that meets up with the Moalepe Trail. Further down the trail you will come to a wooden footbridge which crosses the Opaekaa Stream. The Kuilau Trail is located in the Keahua Arboretum. Follow Hwy 580 through the rural neighborhoods of Wailua and up into the forested park area of Keahua. The trail begins just before the park area on the right. Designated parking for about three cars is available. If parking is full drive a bit further and more parking is available within a short walk.

Heading into Kauai’s interior and remote terrain offers dome of the most beautiful backdrops on the world. By doing a little planning and being prepared you will make your hiking trip one of your best Kauai experiences.

Hiking Plan Always tell someone where you are hiking (name and location of trail) you plan to hike and when you plan on returning.
Water Drink one-half to one full quart of water or sports drink each and every hour you are hiking in the heat. Carry your water bottle in your hand and drink small amounts often. Make sure if you are drinking water from any streams or fresh water sources you purify your water with a purifier is certified to filter microbial leptosporosis or giardia (not all do).
Food Carry high-energy, salty snacks as well as meals. The hike out is much easier when you provide your body with enough calories to support the extreme physical activity you are engaged in.
Weather Check the weather before you set off on your hike. Kauai Weather Forecast
First Aid It is important to know that cuts in tropical climates should be monitored closely. Don not expose open wounds or cuts to river water.
Proper Footwear There are a variety of footwear options to choose from. The best advise is to wear what is comfortable for you. Do not break in new shoes along a hiking trail.
Clothing Dress in layers so you can protect your skin from the tropical sun. Wearing a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen is recommended. A light rain jacket is recommended.

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The beautiful 3.5-mile round trip Kuilau Ridge Trail is a rainforest hike that takes hikers into the lush, vibrant, and green tropical interior of the island. It makes you feel like you’re in Jurrasic Park and although there are no giant predators, it’s also bug-free. In fact, it’s quite the opposite of what you think a hiking trail through a jungle would have (bugs and creature-wise) except for the mud.

I did this gradual uphill trail at the end of summer, and there are still mud puddles, slush, and slippery red dirt pretty much along the entire trail. The Kuilau trail itself, one way is just 1.75 miles to a footbridge, which is the end of the Kuilau trail but also the start of the Moalepe trail that continues on for another 2.75 miles to Olohena road in Kapaa.

Kuilau Trail forest
You can combine both of these trails as an out-and-back for an 8-mile round-trip adventure that includes seeing the beautiful mountain range of Waialeale and the Makaleha Mountains and the ocean for a couple of minutes on the Kuilau section. There is a lot more of the ocean towards the end of the Moalepe section.

Mountain range in Kuilau Trail
The Kuilau Ridge Trail only takes one in a half to two hours to complete, depending on if you stop to photograph or how many breaks you take. Many park a car at either end to complete both trails but avoid the 8 miles out and back.

The sheltered covered picnic tables are used not only as a spot to enjoy a break but as a stopping point and turn around for both trails. For the Kuilau Ridge hike, the picnic table is actually only 1.25 miles, and the end at the footbridge is another half a mile.

Kuilau Ridge Trail picnic tables
Kuilau Ridge Trailhead
Head up State Highway 580 off Highway 51 near Wailua in Kapaa. The Kuilau Ridge trailhead is within 6.6 miles and will be on your right. The parking lot only has room for four cars, so if you don’t find any open spaces then continue on for another 200 yards, where the road dead-ends at the Keahua Arboretum.

Kuilau Ridge Trail parking
There, you will see another small parking lot to your left. You can also cross the bridge, and there’s another big parking lot to your right. At the Arboretum, there is a bathroom up a hill, lots of picnic tables, and a path to walk along that leads you through a forest of Rainbow Eucalyptus trees. The bridge goes over a river to cool off after you complete the hike, and you’ll probably want to do it due to muddy calves.

Whether you park at the trailhead or the Arboretum, you will come across a dirt road behind a gate that doesn’t allow vehicles but has an opening for people and even dogs. A leash is required, although I saw plenty of well-behaved dogs walking leash-free.

Kuilau Ridge Trail Hike
Kuilau Ridge Trail gate
The dirt road starts out in a gradual uphill ascend right away. The Kuilau trail starts at 500 feet of elevation and gains 640 feet to end at 1140 feet at the shelter with the 2 picnic tables. This dirt road also starts to get muddy right away.

I have done the Kuilau Ridge Trail hike before in the winter and spring, which are considered the rainy season. It’ll get very muddy then, but the mud in late summer was easy to step over or around. Yet, still expect to get your calves, ankles, and shoes full of mud.

Kuilau Ridge Trail mud path
This trail is good for running, so obviously it’s graded easy to moderate. I still wear hiking boots because of the mud that I always come across on the trail and a few sections of tree roots that boots are better at dealing with. If you use hiking poles, they’re a great way to see how deep a slushy muddy part might be.

There are man-made hiking sticks left at the billboard 100 yards past the gate. Please feel free to use and leave for others. Here also is a poster of the Kuilau trail and additional information.

Kuilau Ridge Trail start
After this billboard, the trails quite frequently get narrow to wide. Again, it’s a rainforest, and there’s lots of overgrown plant life. The whole trail is maintained by the county so no need to bushwhack, even though there are sections of Buffalo grass that get 7 feet tall.

Just forage on and you’ll be fine. There are many different species of plant life along the trail and miles and miles of green-shaded plants and Ohia trees overlooking and leading to the mountain ranges. It’s here where you’ll think of Jurassic Park.

Mountain Ranges view from the Kuilau Trail
The most interesting plant life you can see is the huge ivy-type plant leaves that cover tree trunks all the way to the top. There is a section of Eucalyptus trees towering above you and creating a canopy that prevents you from getting wet if it starts raining.

Giant ferns are sprouting everywhere and dotted with wild red raspberries and their white flowers. Different types of Ginger can be found in yellow, red, and pink. I especially loved the small lavender flowers to photograph with raindroplets on their leaves. Listen along the trail to hear the song of different birds, with my favorite being the Shama Thrush.

Fruits on Kuilau trail
Yes, I mentioned raindrops. This section of Kapaa is the wettest, thanks to Mt Waialeale being so close, which is one of the wettest places on earth. When the Alakai swamp in Kokee gets too much rain it starts to overflow and causes the well-known Weeping Mountain.

We all have seen this above the north shore, but keep your eyes out for a surprise. The mountain ranges on your left as you continue the trail are always covered in clouds, just as you would expect from Mt Waialeale, a very wet area.

Kuilau Ridge Trail waterfalls view
However, the hike gave me a tiny cloud clearing, and I got a glimpse of the multiple flowing waterfalls down these mountain ranges. It was a wonderful treat, so keep your eyes open to the distant Makaleha Mountains.

Back on the gradual uphill trail when you come to the shelter with the two picnic tables, rest, eat, and stare at the views.

Kuilau Ridge Jungle Trail to Mount Wai’ale’ale Viewpoints
The word kuilau (koo-E-lau) means “to string together leaves or grass.” Plant fibers were used for everything from thatching roofs (pili grass huts) to making large sails for ocean voyaging canoes (from the hala [tree] leaf), so one might imagine that this lush trail originally got its name from native Hawaiians gathering and utilizing natural resources from the area.
After a quick stop at the roadside overlook to observe ‘O’paeka’a Falls, we drive deeper into the island’s verdant trailhead. Our hike begins as a gentle climb up a wide, well-maintained trail. The trail is lined with impressive Sydney blue gum trees (Eucalyptus saligna), which can grow over 150 feet tall, and the occasional smatterings of albizia trees, massive in girth and height.
As we make our way higher, views of several mountain ranges begin to emerge. On overcast days, we’ll still be rewarded with densely green views of the heavily foliated gulches that dominate the foreground; their abundant native and introduced plant species offer much to discover. These plants include wild orchids, tasty guava (when in season), brilliant ‘ōhiʻa lehua blossoms, the versatile hala tree (used for hats, mats, baskets, and sails for voyaging canoes), and the ti plant (a popular material for making hula skirts, among many other uses).
At our turnaround point, there is a large open area with covered picnic tables and expansive views of Kahili Mountain to the south, Wai’ale’ale Mountain and Mount Kawi to the west and the Makaleha Mountains to the north.
Back at the arboretum, we will take a short stroll in an area dense with the widely popular, often photographed, “rainbow eucalyptus” trees (Eucalyptus deglupta). Time and conditions permitting, we will have the option of taking a quick dip in a cool mountain stream and/or walking up a small hill to once again look towards the majestic Wai’ale’ale Summit, statistically one of the wettest places on earth (averaging over 450 inches of rainfall annually; subsequently fully or partially concealed by clouds much of the time).