The 11-mile Na Pali Coast-Kalalau Trail that begins at Ha’ena on the North Shore has been closed since Tuesday, Dec. 2. State officials closed the trail after parts of the trail between Hanakoa and Kalalau beaches were washed away or
The 11-mile Na Pali Coast-Kalalau Trail that begins at Ha’ena on the North Shore has been closed since Tuesday, Dec. 2.
State officials closed the trail after parts of the trail between Hanakoa and Kalalau beaches were washed away or covered with mud by a recent storm, and became impassable.
Five campers, including one woman, were reported to be stranded at Kalalau Beach and in areas around the beach. All were reported to be in good condition.
Two campers with state permits to camp at the beach, a man who lives on Kaua’i and has camped at Kalalau before and a female companion, remained at the beach, according to Wayne Souza, superintendent of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks on Kaua’i.
Three other campers, whose identities were not known, were found in an area of Kalalau not designated for camping.
All of the campers could be taken out by helicopter if need be, Souza said.
On Tuesday morning, Souza said he and two other DLNR staffers from Kaua’i flew over the 11-mile coastline aboard an Inter-Island Helicopters craft to “assess the situation” and look for landslides. No landslides were seen, he added.
After the helicopter landed in Kalalau Valley, state officials checked on the campers, and told them not to go on the trail, DLNR Chairperson Peter Young said in a news release.
Souza said he and other DLNR officials told the five campers to stay put, and that efforts were being to make the trail passable again.
The officials also asked the campers to pass the message to other hikers who might be on the trail or in mauka areas, Souza said.
“We told them not to go onto the trail, and that we will return later to let them know when the trail is repaired,” Souza said.
Souza said he and other DLNR staffers didn’t see any smoke from campfires during their flyover, indicating there likely weren’t any other campers on the coastline.
“We didn’t see any smoke or anything like that in those areas,” Souza said. “When the weather gets bad like this, people generally leave Kalalau and leave the Na Pali Coast.”
Souza said campers who had permits to camp out at Kalalau Beach this week wisely decided not to go on their trip when the weather got bad earlier this week.
During the flyover, Souza said he and other DLNR officials checked the coastline from Ha’ena to Miloli’i Beach and mauka into Hanakapi’ai Valley, where Hanakapi’ai Falls is a popular destination for one-day hikes, and Hanakoa Valley, and found no signs of campers or hikers.
Any stragglers would have a hard time leaving the coastline because streams by the trail were flooded, making passage unsafe, Souza said.
A trail-closure sign was posted at the trailhead at Ke’e Beach Monday, Dec. 1, according to DLNR officials.
“We have closed the popular trail temporarily for public safety while we make the necessary repairs,” Young said in a news release.
“We thank the campers and hikers who had planned to go on the trail for their patience while the work takes place,” Young said.
The aerial survey by DLNR officials on Tuesday revealed recent heavy rains had washed away a 10-to-15-foot section of trail between the seven- and eight-mile markers in Pohakuao (between Hanakoa and Kalalau beaches), Young said.
Several other sections within the same area also had been covered by mud, Souza said.
A DLNR work crew flew by helicopter from Burns Field to Na Pali Coast yesterday morning, and were armed with hand tools and a “mud gun,” a version of a jack hammer, to make repairs on the trail, Souza said.
The mud gun would be used to crack the rock face of the cliff above the affected trail areas, to construct a new pathway and to make it usable, Souza said.
The crew also was to remove soil that had covered other parts of the trail by the 10-to-15-foot swath of the trail that had washed away, Souza said.
The crew was expected to fly out by sunset Wednesday, and to return to the damaged trail this morning to resume the work, Souza said.
Plans call for all of the work to be completed within two days, but the work may take longer depending on the difficulty of the repairs, Souza said.
During the work, some members of the work crew will remain in contact with the stranded hikers, he said.
Hikers or campers needing information on the status of the trail and the repair work can call the DLNR parks office on Kaua’i, 274-3444.
Staff Writer Lester Chang may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net.
