11 Mistakes to avoid when hiking the Kalalau Trail

Completing the Kalalau Trail is no easy feat. (In case you’re not familiar, this world-famous trail off of the Napali coast of Kauai is considered one of the world's most beautiful but also most dangerous hiking trails.)

So you want to be prepared, bring the right gear, and make good decisions. And yet, more often than not, people make mistakes that get them into varying degrees of trouble.

Here are the top blunders:

1. Underestimating the Trail

Let’s get right to point: this trail is anything but easy. With 11+ miles, over 3,000 ft cumulative elevation gain, rough terrain, heavy pack, stream crossings, ledges, heat, rain, and plenty of other small and big challenges, it’s not for the unprepared and fainthearted. This is not a let’s-go-for-a-quick-hike Sunday afternoon stroll.

You’ll want to be prepared and ready. In addition to the right gear and good general preparedness, this means being in the right physical condition. You need endurance, strong legs, good balance, but also core and upper body strength. For me, this means targeted training for 2–3 months to get into the proper shape. (I’ll post more about my training program in the future.)