Hanakapiai Beach

It is a pretty tough hike to get to the beach but definitely worth it. Just take the hike slow and it should not be too bad. A lot of uphill hiking. Bring hiking sticks. Took us slightly under an hour to get there. We were not able to make the hike to the waterfall because we got here with the shuttle and wouldn't have enough time.

Road was extremely muddy after rain. It was very hard as it rains a lot during the hike and the wind is strong. You have to cross a little river right before you can reach the beach. After we reached the beach it was all covered by the waves so all you see is just rocks without the beach. Better to come here on a sunny day when you can actually see the beach.

Beautiful beach. We hiked to this beach which took 2 hours at a slow pace. The hike is beautiful and with amazing view of the Napali cost line. It would rate the hike at moderate if you have not hiked in some time.

Was a great hike and very glad we did it. The beach when we arrived must have been at high tide since there was no visible sand, only black rocks. Big, impressive waves. Incredible views all the way. The trail is very uneven almost the whole way: rocks, roots, and more rocks. Check your footwear before heading out. We passed several people whose shoes had fallen apart during the hike: soles separated from the uppers, or part of the sole peeled off. We kept a steady pace, but did not push ourselves and made it in 2 hrs. On the way back we kept a better pace without hurting ourselves and did it in 1.5 hrs, and we are not regular hikers. I would recommend boots or shoes with good tread and good support. Plenty of people hiked in teevas, but I prefer more support for feet and ankles. We were able to cross the stream on the rocks down by the beach and did not have to get our feet wet, FYI. I saw plenty of people much older than me doing the hike. (I’m in early 50s.)

I don't recommend this hike if you're not fit or too old. Getting to Hanakāpī‘ai Beach via the Kalalau Trail was really hard for us. It takes a lot of energy, and more difficult if the weather is hot. The trail was very rocky and muddy, and a significant amount of steep climbing required. It took us 2.5 hours to get to the beach, and we gave up the idea of going to the Hanakāpī‘ai falls as we were too slow. When we got back to the trail head, our legs were stiff from all the effort of the hike. We had to sit for 1/2 hour to recover our energy and legs. If you're just hiking to Hanakāpī‘ai Beach and not to the falls, I honestly wouldn't recommend it given the effort you need to get to this beach. Save your energy for the other beautiful beaches in Kauai!