Kalalau Valley

Kalalau Valley, on Kauai’s northwest coast within Nā Pali Coast State Park, is a fertile yet isolated valley opening onto Kalalau Beach beneath cliffs more than 2,000 feet high. Its broad floor supports rare endemic plants, including species found nowhere else, and preserves the cultural landscape of extensive taro terraces cultivated by Native Hawaiians who lived there into the 20th century. Because the coast is too steep for automobiles, legal access is limited to kayak, the strenuous 11-mile Kalalau Trail, or emergency helicopter landings, and permits are tightly controlled. Ongoing protection also addresses illegal camping, squatting, and invasive trees damaging historic terrace walls.

Haena, Hawaii · United States