Haena State Park

Most vacationers who come to Hawaii tend to visit only the typical tourist attractions. In fact, many tourists do not even realize that there is more to Hawaii than the stereotypical scuba diving, luaus, and expensive tours. However, outdoor enthusiasts will find that Hawaii offers a stunning array of natural parks and wildlife reserves in which you can get a taste of Hawaii’s true inner beauty. The Haena State Park on the island of Kauai offers an enormous display of natural life at its finest. If you want to experience the true implications of Hawaiian culture, then you need look no further than this picturesque, family oriented park.

The Haena State Park is ideal in that it is an entirely safe location for visitors to enjoy. While you can still experience the wildness and uniqueness of Hawaii’s natural forest life at this park, families can feel assured that their children will be safe and sound inside the park’s calm environment. Many outdoor enthusiasts love to spend the entire day at this park, making use of the provided picnic tables, pay phones, restrooms, and outdoor showers.

However, the best features of this state park are those that can be experienced only by more adventurous souls. The park features direct access to the Kalalau Trail, originally created in the 1800′s. With a total length of eleven miles, this trail leads hikers through parts of Hawaii’s natural beauty that are inaccessible through any other means. Visitors meander through five separate valleys before reaching the trail’s conclusion at the Kalalau Beach. Bordered by lush green vegetation and skirting innumerable stretches of immaculate coastline, this trail is reputed to be one of Hawaii’s finest. You can even go for a swim at some of the bordering beaches when weather conditions are ideal. However, you should be in very good shape before embarking on this trail; even hikers who are in the best possible physical condition need most of the day to complete this excursion. More information can be obtained at the trail’s official website, www.kalalautrail.com.

Another fantastic opportunity that this state park has to offer for the adventure-inclined would be its access to some of Hawaii’s ancient sea caves. Experts estimate that these wet caves were formed by the surf over four thousand years ago. If you are physically fit, you can climb throughout these caves and inspect the fantastic results of years and years of Mother Nature’s work. You can also learn about the traditional folk lore and myths that surround the sea caves; ancient Hawaiian culture asserts that these caves were created by the volcano goddess, Pele, as she dug through the sand in search of a new home.

Of course, if you need to take a break from all or your adventures, there are plenty of more sedate activities that you can occupy yourself with at this park. The Haena State Park provides access to an extensive coastline where visitors are able to relax and enjoy typical beach-related activities. When conditions are ideal, you can go for a swim at the Ke’e Beach. This beach features a stunning reef lagoon which attracts innumerable photographers to its shores every year. The reef lagoon also keeps the beach’s waters quite calm, and families can feel secure in allowing their children to enjoy the waves at this location (However, the surf is known to be quite rough beyond Ke’e Beach, and visitors are strongly advised to not venture too far from the shore). Shore fishing is also very popular amongst locals and visitors alike. Ke’e Beach is one of the few locations where the rare Ulua fish can be caught, and many fisherman spend their entire day at the Haena State Park in pursuit of this prize. Finally, many people love to simply relax on the beach’s shore and enjoy its panoramic views of the Na Pali coastline.

The Haena State Park displays a more meaningful side of Hawaii’s culture. This enormously popular location is appreciated by tourists and locals alike, and you should be sure to get to the park early in order to have access to all of the park’s best attractions. If you want to experience a taste of Hawaii’s natural beauty, then this state park would be the perfect destination.