Nā Pali Coast State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, located in the center of the rugged northwest side of

Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

, the second-oldest inhabited Hawaiian island. The Nā Pali coast itself extends southwest from Kee Beach all the way to Polihale State Park. The ''nā pali'' (many

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...

s) along the shoreline rise as much as above the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. The state park was formed to protect the Kalalau Valley. To the east of the state park is the Hono O Nā Pali State Natural Reserve. It was established in 1983 and later extended to over in 2009. Hiking trails and hunters' roads provide access to the sharp ridges from Koke'e Road (route 550) in Waimea Canyon.

Accessibility

Although inaccessible to vehicles, this coast can be enjoyed over land by

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

or in a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

, and from the ocean by

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

and paddleboarding, paddleboard. Charter tours are available on

rigid-hulled inflatable boat A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull (watercraft), hull bottom joined to side-forming a ...

catamaran A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...

, originating from Port Allen and Hanalei Bay. The Kalalau Trail from the end of

Hawaii Route 560 Route 560, or Kaua'i Belt Road-North Shore section, is a scenic road on the northern shore of the Kauai, island of Kauai in Hawaii. The entire road is signed as the Kuhio Highway. Hawaii Route 56 was once signed on this route before it was dow ...

(called the Kuhio Highway) provides the only land access along the coast, traversing and crossing five major

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

s (and many smaller ones) before reaching

Kalalau Beach Kalalau Beach is a beach on the Na Pali Coast, Nā Pali Coast at the base of the Kalalau Valley in north-west Kauai, Kauai in Hawaii, Hawaii. It is the final destination of the Kalalau Trail, one of the most difficult trails on the Hawaiian Isla ...

at the base of Kalalau Valley. Side trails along the way lead to waterfalls in the valleys above. The coast in between Kalalau Beach and Polihale Beach is inaccessible by hiking and can only be reached by boat or helicopter. Kayak trips are a popular way to visit this area.

History

The Nā Pali Coast was formed 5 million years ago, when a massive amount of water spilled onto the northwest side of the island, carving its valleys. The first settlers on the Nā Pali Coast were Polynesian navigators around 1200 AD. Soon after, many Tahitian migrants followed, shaping the culture of Kauai and other Hawaiian islands today. The coast was a center for trade between Hanalei, Waimea and

Niʻihau Niihau (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the seventh largest island in Hawaii and the westernmost of the main islands. It is southwest of Kauai, Kauai across the Channels of the Hawaiian Islands#Kaulakahi Channel, Ka ...

, and branched out to nearby island colonies. After Kauai was visited by

Captain Cook Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 1768 and 1779. He complet ...

in 1778, many Westerners began traveling to the island. As more foreigners arrived, the Hawaiian tribes along the Nā Pali Coast, where Nā Pali Coast State Park now exists, began to die off from Western diseases. The last known native Hawaiians to live along the Nā Pali Coast were sighted in the 20th century.

Camping

Camping in Nā Pali Coast State Park is only allowed with a valid permit. There are three sites that allow camping access. During the summer season from May 15 to September 7, access from the ocean via boat or kayak is only allowed with a valid camping permit. Along the Kalalau Trail, the two authorized spots for camping are in Kalalau and Hanakoa. Both are covered by the same permit and can be accessed by hiking. These locations include facilities to accommodate campers. Five nights is the maximum stay on the Kalalau Trail, and one night maximum for Hanakoa. The camp site at Miloli'i is only accessible by boat or kayak. Permits allow access for maximum of three days. Composting toilets are available at all three camp sites. Napali Coast view

References

External links

Nā Pali Coast MagazineNā Pali Coast OhanaNā Pali Coast BeachNā Pali Coast Hike - HanakapiaaiOverview of Nā Pali Coast. Pictures + MapNā Pali GuideKoke'e & Nā Pali Coast Recreation Map for smartphones
– GPS enabled map of Koke'e and Nā Pali coast trails {{DEFAULTSORT:Nā Pali Coast State Park State parks of Hawaii Beaches of Kauai Protected areas of Kauai Cliffs of Hawaii

Accessibility

History

Camping

See also

References

External links