Hanakapiai Falls

The trail crisscrosses the stream several times, so be mindful of water flow. Make sure to pack rain gear because showers pop up frequently and carry drinking water since it is not safe to drink stream water unless it is purified.

Unfortunately, you cannot see the entire falls from within the valley. Estimates, based on topography, say that the Hanakapi'ai Falls may top 1,600 foot in height. As noted above, only the bottom 410 feet of the falls are visible from the ground.

Total elevation gain for the segment between Ke`e and Hanakapi`ai is about 1060 feet (that's coming and going), and the hike takes approximately an hour and a half at a moderate pace. As noted, the falls are another two miles inland, and it can take up to two hours to reach the falls. The hike requires numerous stream crossings.  Total elevation gain to the falls from Hanakapiai Beach is 760 feet. This is a moderately strenuous hike.

IMPORTANT SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS FOR HANAKAPI’AI BEACH AND STREAM:

Use extreme caution crossing the stream and if there has been consistent heavy rain recently or the flow is high, do NOT cross at all. If you want to cross without getting your feet wet, you can sometimes skip across the rocks if you head inland a few meters; however it is far safer to get your shoes wet (or take them off and put them back on the other side) than it is to slip on a rock and fall potentially.  For anybody carrying a heavy backpack; standard safety protocol is to unbuckle the waist and chest straps before crossing the river; that way if you fall in the river you can easily escape your pack. 

At times there is a rope tied across the river to help with crossings. However, the general rule is not to cross unless you are sure you can do so safely.   Although Hanakapi'ai Beach is a dangerous swimming spot, most drownings and near-drownings in Hanakapi'ai are in the river when people try to cross in water that is too fast and deep, and they are swept away by flooding river waters. The water at Hanakapi'ai is usually clear and ankle-knee deep with enough rocks visible above the surface to rock-hop across – if it looks like a muddy, raging torrent; do not try to cross!  Crossing the river in waist-high water requires skill and extreme care.  If the water is over waist high, do not try to cross the river in any circumstances even if you are caught on the wrong side of the river and are trying to go home – wait; eventually, the floodwaters will subside! 

Please do not place yourself at risk by walking on boulders that are wet with seawater - if the rocks are wet it means that the waves come up that high (even if they are far away when you are looking at it - wave heights vary greatly between sets and getting washed off the rocks is a prevalent way people get injured or drown).   Even in the summertime, when the beach is deep with white sand; people sometimes venture along the lava rock shelves on both ends of the beach.   Many people have met their demise by being swept off these shelves by large waves after venturing on them at a low point in between sets.  If the rocks are wet - stay off!  A local rule of thumb is to watch the ocean for 20 minutes before going in or walking in a tidal zone.  

We also highly recommend that you do NOT swim in the ocean at Hanakapi'ai Beach.  There is often strong undertow, rip currents, a dangerous shore break, and the reflection of the surf off the rock walls of the shoreline creates irregular and unpredictable waves.