Spangler Peak and Ramona Benchmark

Hiked: 1/13/2023
Distance: 5 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 1984' (Spangler), 2128' (Ramona)
Elevation Gain: 1227'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.0
Round trip time: 2 hours
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Bassett Way
Difficulty: Easy

I drove to Ramona for some cardio training on smallish peaks. First up was Spangler Peak and Ramona Benchmark, sitting at opposite ends of a ridge in Simon County Park. I parked on Bassett Way in a rural neighborhood with access to the trail. The main trail was a dirt road, but I tried a more direct trail on the Spangler side. It went straight up to the ridge. I turned toward Spangler, going up and down two false summits. At the saddle below Spangler, I went up through tall grass. It might have been easier to stay on the abandoned road. The last 100' required some light bushwhacking and the 15' summit boulders were class 2. I signed the register left by Larry Edmonds and noted the people that had signed. I wanted to push myself a little, so I took a short break then starting jogging down. I tried to jog most of the downhills if possible. When I got back on the ridge, I hiked to Ramona Benchmark at the other end, maybe 2 miles from Spangler. There were double benches at the Ramona high point, back to back with decent views. I only took a water break on Ramona, then jogged down the road most of the way back. I was pleased to finish in under two hours (1:57). Not bad considering the open country and short scramble on the Spangler summit. I had plenty of time to pick up one more nearby peak, Stone Mountain.

Spangler

Looking down on the register from the Spangler summit

Ramona Benchmark

Nounou Mountain, HI

Hiked: 1/6/2023
Distance: 3.3 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 1280'
Elevation Gain: 1190'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.9
Round trip time: 2 hours
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Haleilio Road trailhead
Difficulty: Easy

Nounou, aka Sleeping Giant, is the prominent mountain rising above the Wailua River on Kauai, HI. There are trails to the top from the west and east. We parked at the free parking lot for the east trailhead on Haleilio Road. The lot was about half full at 8 AM and had room for 15 cars. The trail was damp, but not too muddy. It switchbacks at low angles to the ridge, then follows it for a few miles to a picnic area. The views got better as we went. From the picnic area, the trail to the summit wasn't signed or obvious. The continuation was on the right, where it dropped to a saddle, then climbed the last 100'. The crux was a 15' class 3 rocky section with good holds. Above that, a short trail went left to the "chin" with the best 360 views. I took some photos there, then took the right trail to the true summit. On top was a cement block with a pipe in it and not much else. Views were somewhat obscured from the summit due to trees. We returned the same way and met a steady stream of hikers going up.

The chin

The crux

Wailua River meets the ocean

Summit

Hanakapi'ai Falls, HI

Hiked: 1/5/2023
Distance: 8 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 791'
Elevation Gain: 2000'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.6
Round trip time: 5 hours
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35/person shuttle to trailhead
Difficulty: Moderate (muddy, slippery, scramble)

One of the most popular hikes on the island is to Hanakapi'ai Falls. There is very limited parking at the Halalu trailhead and passes sell out as soon as they become available. The other option is to ride a shuttle to the parking lot. We took the shuttle and started around 7:30 AM. The lot is technically about 0.2 miles from the official Halalu trailhead, but you can't drive any closer. The famous Halalu Trail is eleven miles long. To reach the falls, we hiked 2 miles on the Halalu Trail to Hanakapi'ai Beach, then took a separate trail to the falls. Like most trails in Kauai, the first two miles were a muddy slip and slide. We gained a little over 500', then followed the coast. There were a couple of minor stream crossings, then a knee deep stream we had to forge to reach the beach. For many of the hikers, the beach was their destination. There were a couple of restrooms at the beach and picnic tables. Signs warned against snorkeling due to rough water and rip currents. There was a large sea cave on the west wall that I wanted to check out on the way back. We took a short break at the beach, then took off for the falls.

Stream crossing to get to the beach

We tromped through some large bamboo stands and had three more ankle to knee deep stream crossings. The last quarter mile was slow with a fair bit of scrambling over wet rocks just above the stream. There weren't very many hikers on the trail and we were two of six people when we reached the falls. The huge 300' falls tumble into a deep pool. Leisa went in for a swim. She said the water was cold and didn't swim under the falls. I waded knee deep into the pool, but had no desire to go for a full plunge. There were two other swimmers but no one braved going behind the falls. We took a long break before packing up and heading back. We passed several large groups (10+) on their way up. When we got back to the beach, it was close to high tide and it didn't look safe to reach the sea cave. We walked out on the beach for another snack break and watched some daring surfers take on the waves. The trail was crowded on the final two miles back and it was warm and humid. The ocean took on a turqoise hue toward the end. Most reports exaggerate the difficulty of the hike. It's not easy, but it's not a stretch for regular hikers. Overall, a beautiful hike and probably my favorite from our visit.

Pihea, HI

Hiked: 1/4/2023
Distance: 2.3 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 4284'
Elevation Gain: 712'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.5
Round trip time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: $20 State Parks Fee at Pu'u O Kila Lookout ($10 + $5/person)
Difficulty: Easy (muddy and slippery)

We drove to the top of Waimea Canyon and parked at the Pu'u O Kila Lookout. Cloud completely enveloped us so there were no views. Our target was Pihea Mountain, a short hike from the lookout, but it there was a steady mist coming down on a notoriously muddy trail. We started by dropping about 200' in the first half mile, using trees to control the slippery and muddy descent. We were in a full rain forest and the entire trail was sloppy. We gave up trying to avoid the mud and slogged through it. The trail rolled gently up and down, then we caught a glimpse of Pihea through the clouds and mist. The final quarter mile had a couple of short scramble sections that were tricky on the slick packed mud. Fortunately, there were ample, sturdy roots to propel our progress and at the end a metal fence for solid holds. We reached the summit and found a benchmark, but it was probably too popular for a register. There was a sign warning of danger and explaining the purpose of the fence. The sun tried to burn off the clouds, but they stubborning refused to part. It was tricky getting back down, and we ended up caked in mud, but made it back without a fall. We passed a few other parties on their way up, some better prepared than others. One lady had microspikes, a good idea in the rain. On the drive down, we stopped below the clouds to get a photo of Wimea Canyon. This was a fun, short hike, and worth the drive.

Wailua River to Secret Falls, HI

Hiked: 1/3/2023
Distance: 6.8 miles round trip on river and trail
Summit Elevation: 214'
Elevation Gain: 100'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.1
Round trip time: 4 hours
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Kayak Wailua
Difficulty: Easy

Our first adventure on Kauai was a guided kayak/hike to the "Secret Falls" on the Wailua River. Secret is a joke because there are a dozen guided tours leading throngs of people to the falls every day. We booked a morning tour through Kayak Wailua. There were twelve of us on the trip and we took off from the Wailua Marina at the same time as another group. The first part of the trip was a 2.1 mile kayak paddle to the trailhead. The river is calm with no white water and no obstacles, except a couple of trees in the water. The only hazard was the large tour boats that run on the south side of the river, while kayakers/paddleboarders are supposed to stay on the north side. After some general instructions, he turned us loose and we reassembled just before the trailhead. We beached our kayaks and followed our guide up the trail.

The hike was 1.3 miles of maintained trail, though there were parts that were muddy and there were three stream crossings. One of the crossings was knee deep. Toward the end were some roots and rocks to navigate, and a short scramble section. The problem with group hikes is you move at the speed of your slowest member. In our case, it was a woman from Canada who had twisted her ankle the day before and was limping along on her wrapped ankle. We all felt bad for her, but she was a drag on our group and we frequently had to wait for other groups to pass while she caught up. Eventually, we got to the falls and it was a decent payoff. It was about 150' high and had a nice pool below. But, there were at least 50 people milling around putting the lie to "secret". After 45 minutes at the falls, we returned the same way. While launching the kayak for the return trip, I stepped into what looked like shallow water only to sink up to my knees in a leaf pile. My legs were coated with mud/leaves the rest of the trip. The scenery along the Wailua River and hike was beautiful, but I can't recommend this trip due to overcrowding. There are better places to go on Kauai.

2022 Retrospective