Bald Knob

For as much hiking as we have done in this area, we somehow managed to skip over bald knob until now.  Steep, but short, it's a hike worth making!   The hike begins directly across the main road from the day visitor parking area at Mountain Lake.  We passed just one other group on our walk to the overlook and enjoyed the frost covered wilderness!

The trail starts out on a gravel road

Shortly after beginning on the true trail

Miss Honey Bunny Bear

At the overlook

Honey and I at the overlook

Habron Gap

Quick assessment: This was a good connector trail and a fine hike if you're looking for a quiet woods walk, but nothing overly inspirational.  The hike is two miles up and two miles back.  Some nice views are afforded on the ascending trail as you approach the ridge, but if you turn around at the junction to other trails once you reach the end of the Habron Gap trail, you won't get any sweeping vistas.  I wish we could have explored the ridge line, but this time didn't provide the opportunity.

Views from the trail up.  Pretty, but not sweeping.

Honey enjoying her woodsy walk

The rest of the team!

Casey and Honey

Max, Casey, Millie, and Honey

Our turn around point.  I imagine that there would be nicer views in either direction on the ridge trails, but we didn't walk far enough to see.

At the junction.

Flat Top and Fallingwater Cascades

Casey and I hiked Flat Top and Fallingwater Cascades at the start of our winter holiday.  We had been to Flat Top once before, but from a completely different trail, so this was a new one for us.  All had a blast!

Casey, Honey, and I at flat top overlook

En route to fallingwater cascades

Honey makes a friend :)

At the overlook

Casey and Max

Cross rock.  It was a short, but STEEP detour to get here.

Honey Bunny Bear and I

Ellett Valley Recreational Area

This was more of a walk than a hike at just one mile of woods walking, but it was enjoyable nonetheless!  The recreational area is off of Jennelle Road, almost directly across from Rocky Acres.  A quick, tenth of a mile trail leads you to a 1 mile, clearly marked loop. 

Kauai, Hawaii - Sleeping Giant, Ho'opi'i Falls, Waimea Canyon via Canyon Trail, and Kalalau Trail

Wow.  Never before had I been in a place where you can spend the mornings hiking, wandering through underbrush and up winding mountain trails to stunning panoramic views, and then retreat to the beach in the afternoon with less than a 20 minute drive between the two.  Kauai was a true paradise.  We opted to honeymoon here for that exact reason.  We wanted a combination of adventure and beach and didn't want to deal with a logistical headache or arduous travel plans to make both a reality.  It fit the bill.  Overall, the hikes were stunning, but when you read that they are muddy, you better believe it.  We had to hose our boots off at the end of the trip and my socks are still tinged with the red colored dirt.  Below, I'll outline a few of our favorite hikes:

Sleeping Giant (3.6 miles).  As you near the top, you get into more of a rock scramble with a few spots that those with a fear of heights might not appreciate.  Overall, stunning views!:

On the trail, not too far into the ascent

Views along the trail

A rain storm in the distance

Ho'opi'i Falls (2 miles total out and back).  Short, easy trail to waterfalls.  We liked the second waterfall much better than the first.

Old automobile frame.  I wonder how it got there!

On the trail

At the second falls

Waimea Canyon (via canyon trail) [the trail takes you to top of Waipoo falls]:

tiny falls at the top of Waipoo falls

View of the falls from a roadside pull off (since you can't actually see them from the trail we did)

Kalalau Trail To Hanakapai Falls (8 miles total; out and back).  If you don't book far enough in advance to get a parking spot, you'll likely have to take a shuttle in.  It wasn't expensive (I think $15 pp in Oct 2019) and took us from Princeville to the park.  However, it does only leave once per hour and fills fast in the afternoon, so we did have to plan our exit from the park carefully.  Even with that, this was one of our favorites of the trip (and maybe ever):

One of my favorite views on the whole trip. Napali coast

Falls from a distance

And we made it!

Seal at Hanakapai beach (~2 miles into the trail).