Closed at the moment: Hurricane Lowell
As of 8 September 2026, every Hawaii state park on Kauai is closed until further notice, including Haena State Park and the whole Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, because of damage from Hurricane Lowell. The Haena shuttle is suspended, existing bookings are being refunded automatically, and no reopening date has been announced.
Nothing below is a reason to book anything today. It is here so that the moment the park reopens you already know how the permit works, because the summer spots go in under a minute and there will be a backlog of people who have been waiting. Check the Hawaii State Parks site and the Haena conditions page for the current status before you plan around any of it.
Which permit you need, and when
This trips people up more than the booking itself, because there are two separate things to reserve and the boundary between them is at mile two.
- The first two miles, to Hanakapiai Beach. No camping permit. You need an entry reservation for Haena State Park, which covers parking or the shuttle from Hanalei. The Hanakapiai Falls side trail, a further two miles inland, is also covered by this.
- Anything past Hanakapiai. A Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park camping permit, even if you intend to walk out the same day. There is no day-hiking exemption for the middle of the trail.
- Camping at Hanakoa or Kalalau. The same wilderness permit, valid for up to five nights, with a rule people miss: no two consecutive nights at Hanakoa. Since Hanakoa is the natural bail-out camp, that constrains how you can split a slow walk.
Permits come through Hawaii State Parks and are booked on Explore Outdoor Hawaii at explore.ehawaii.gov, which replaced the old camping.ehawaii.gov system in February 2026. They release on a rolling window that opens 90 days before your first camping night. The standard capacity is 60 people a night, and in summer they can be gone in under a minute. This is a race, not a draw: be logged in and ready at the exact moment your date becomes available.
There has also been a walk-in channel worth knowing about. For the 2026 summer season the state held back a further 20 people a night, issued only in person at the Kauai State Parks Office in Lihue on Tuesday to Thursday mornings, bookable up to 30 days ahead, card only and no substitutions. Whether it returns is not yet announced, but if you are already on the island it is the one route that does not require winning the 90-day scramble.
The trail is harder than the photographs suggest
Eleven miles sounds modest. This is not a modest walk. The trail contours across a series of steep valleys with a cumulative climb well into the thousands of feet, on a narrow, rooty, frequently muddy path cut into the side of sea cliffs.
Two sections have a reputation. Crawler's Ledge, at around mile seven, is a narrow traverse with a long drop to the sea, and people with a real fear of exposure turn round there. The red clay sections become genuinely treacherous when wet, and Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth, so assume they will be.
The stream crossings are the actual hazard. Hanakapiai and Hanakoa streams both drain large valleys and rise fast in rain falling miles inland under a clear sky at the coast. Flash floods on these crossings have killed hikers. If a stream is high and brown, the correct decision is to wait, and the permit rules allow for being stuck on the wrong side.
What to plan for
Most people walk in one day, spend a night or two at Kalalau Beach, and walk out. Hanakoa at mile six is the intermediate camp, and it is damp and buggy rather than beautiful, so it is used more as a bail-out than a destination.
Water must be treated, all of it. Leptospirosis is present in the streams, which means filtering or chemically treating everything, and not swallowing water while crossing.
Everything you carry in comes out with you. There is no service, no bins and no resupply. Kalalau Beach has composting toilets and that is the extent of the facilities.
Do not plan on the boat. Commercial boat drop-offs and pick-ups are not permitted for hikers, and the surf at Kalalau makes informal arrangements dangerous. Walk in, walk out.
If you cannot get a permit
The day hike to Hanakapiai Beach and on up to Hanakapiai Falls is eight miles round trip, needs only the Haena entry reservation, and delivers a large share of what people come to the Na Pali Coast for. It is a proper day out and most visitors never get past it.
Do not swim at Hanakapiai Beach. There is a sign counting the drownings and it is not a gimmick: the currents there are lethal, with no sheltered water anywhere on that stretch of coast.
From the water, catamaran tours out of Port Allen run the length of the coast in summer, and it is the only way to see the whole cliff line at once. In winter the swell usually stops them.
On the other side, the Awaawapuhi and Nualolo trails in Kokee State Park end at viewpoints looking down into the same valleys from 2,000 feet up, and need no permit at all.
When to go
May to September is drier and the trail is in its best condition, which is precisely why the permits disappear in seconds. Winter brings heavy rain, high streams and a real chance of the trail being closed outright after a storm.
Whatever the season, build a spare day into the trip. If a stream is up on the day you meant to walk out, you are not walking out, and having a flight the next morning turns a sensible decision into a bad one.
Kalalau Trail Permits FAQs
No. All Hawaii state parks on Kauai, including Haena State Park and the Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, have been closed until further notice since 8 September 2026 because of damage from Hurricane Lowell. The Haena shuttle is suspended and bookings are being refunded. No reopening date has been announced, so check the Hawaii State Parks site for the current position.
Through Hawaii State Parks, booked on Explore Outdoor Hawaii at explore.ehawaii.gov, on a rolling window that opens 90 days before your first camping night. Standard capacity is 60 people a night and summer dates can sell out in under a minute, so be logged in and ready at the exact release moment. In 2026 a further 20 places a night were held back for in-person walk-in applicants in Lihue.
To go past Hanakapiai Beach at mile two, yes, even as a day hike. The first two miles, and the Hanakapiai Falls side trail, need only a Haena State Park entry reservation.
Eleven miles each way from Haena to Kalalau Beach, contouring across steep valleys with thousands of feet of cumulative climbing on narrow, often muddy cliff path.
The stream crossings are the real hazard: Hanakapiai and Hanakoa rise fast from rain falling inland and flash floods have killed hikers. Crawler's Ledge is the exposed section people worry about, and the red clay is treacherous when wet.
Up to five nights on a wilderness permit, at Hanakoa or Kalalau, but no two consecutive nights at Hanakoa. Most people spend one or two nights at Kalalau Beach.
No. Commercial drop-offs and pick-ups for hikers are not permitted, and the surf at Kalalau makes informal arrangements dangerous. Plan to walk in and walk out.
The eight-mile round trip to Hanakapiai Falls needs only a Haena entry reservation. Catamaran tours from Port Allen run the coast in summer, and the Awaawapuhi and Nualolo trails in Kokee State Park look down into the same valleys with no permit needed.
No. The currents are lethal and there is a sign at the beach counting the drownings. There is no sheltered water on that stretch of coast.
