Hanakāpīʻai Falls is a spectacular full-day, 8-mile Nā Pali Coast hike for fit, experienced hikers—not a casual waterfall stop. It works only if you secure Hāʻena State Park access and hike on a dry, stable-weather day with safe stream conditions.
Reserve Hāʻena access 30 days out
Nonresidents need a Hāʻena State Park entry reservation to legally hike to the falls; inventory opens at 12:00 a.m. Hawaiʻi Standard Time 30 days ahead and parking can sell out within minutes.
MoreUse the Waipā shuttle if parking sells out
Book the early Waipā Park & Ride shuttle with entry—departures begin at 6:20 a.m.—rather than parking illegally on the highway or relying on the later Princeville service.
MoreAllow a full day for 8 miles
The out-and-back hike takes about 6–8 hours, with steep trail sections, mud, rocks, downed trees and a stream crossing, so start on the earliest practical arrival and retain time for the return.
MoreTurn back for rain or high water
Do not cross fast or murky water or continue during heavy rain: flash flooding, slippery footing and falling-rock exposure are genuine hazards on the unmaintained upper-valley trail.
MoreHāʻena State Park / Kēʻē Beach / Kalalau Trailhead
Required Hāʻena State Park reservation for nonresidents; use a park-entry reservation, parking-plus-entry reservation, or shuttle-plus-entry booking.
Kalalau Trail: Kēʻē Beach to Hanakāpīʻai Beach
~210 min · Included with Hāʻena day-use access; 4 miles round trip and roughly 3–4 hours.
Hanakāpīʻai Falls trail and waterfall
Included with Hāʻena day-use access; no separate falls ticket, but the 4-mile round-trip spur is unmaintained in parts and requires a stream crossing.
Hanakāpīʻai Falls is an approximately 300-foot waterfall in Hanakāpīʻai Valley on Kauaʻi’s Nā Pali Coast, reached only by an 8-mile round-trip hike from Hāʻena State Park: 2 miles on the Kalalau Trail to Hanakāpīʻai Beach, then about 2 miles inland on a rough, unmaintained valley trail. Rainfall feeds its perennial stream and can make the falls more dramatic, but also creates mud, slippery rocks, stream-crossing hazards, and flash-flood risk. Access is through Hāʻena State Park, not Princeville itself.
This is a full-day, earned-payoff hike combining Nā Pali Coast views, a remote beach-and-valley setting, and a tall rainforest waterfall. It suits fit, experienced hikers prepared for wet feet, uneven terrain, weather decisions, and 6–8 hours on trail; skip it if you want a casual waterfall stop, are hiking with very young children, or are uncomfortable assessing rain and stream conditions. Reserve legal Hāʻena access in advance and turn back if rain, high or murky water, or trail conditions deteriorate.
Before you go
Yes, nonresidents need legal Hāʻena State Park access for the Kalalau Trail and Hanakāpīʻai Falls. Book either a Park Entry Reservation if walking, biking, or being dropped off; Day-use Parking + Entry if driving; or a North Shore Shuttle + Entry ticket. There is no separate Hanakāpīʻai Falls ticket, and a Nāpali Coast camping permit is not needed for the falls hike.
Book through Go Hāʻena, where inventory opens 30 days ahead at 12:00 a.m. Hawaiʻi Standard Time. Parking can sell out within minutes, so be logged in before midnight HST with every visitor’s name ready. If parking is gone, look again around 12:15 a.m. HST for uncompleted-cart inventory and around 7–8 a.m. HST for cancellations; otherwise book the Waipā Park & Ride shuttle, which includes park entry.
There is no separate falls admission. For nonresidents, park entry is US$5 per person for walk-in, bike-in, or drop-off access. Driving requires US$20 per vehicle per time slot plus US$5 per nonresident visitor. The North Shore Shuttle + Entry costs US$45 ages 16+ or US$25 ages 4–15; ages 0–3 ride free on a lap. Book the ordinary Hāʻena day-use product rather than a US$35-per-person-per-night Nāpali camping permit, which is not required for the falls.
Use an early driving reservation or the early Waipā Park & Ride shuttle. Waipā departures begin at 6:20 a.m. and generally run every 20 minutes; this is more practical than the Princeville route, whose outward departures are 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. If driving, an eight-mile hike will normally require both the 6:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 12:30–5:30 p.m. parking blocks. Do not park along Kūhiō Highway or nearby shoulders.
Plan a full day: the route is about 8 miles round trip and typically takes 6–8 hours of hiking and rests, plus check-in and the walk from the parking/shuttle area to the trailhead. It is officially very difficult, with steep rises and descents, mud, slick rocks, fallen trees, wet feet, and a stream crossing. It is not a casual walk, flip-flop hike, or suitable choice for inexperienced hikers, many young children, or anyone unable to make conservative decisions around high water.
Enter through Hāʻena State Park, walk to Kēʻē Beach and the Kalalau Trailhead, then hike about 2 miles to Hanakāpīʻai Beach/Valley. From there, turn inland onto the Hanakāpīʻai Falls trail for roughly 2 more miles. The inland section is unmaintained in places and includes a stream crossing about a mile in. Return by the same route; do not continue beyond Hanakāpīʻai Valley on the coastal Kalalau Trail without the separate required Nāpali Coast permit.