Kauai Trip Report Part 4 - North Shore

loria · Post by **loria** » Sat Jun 16, 2012 5:37 pm

and for the hike, wear foot wear that you don't necessarily care about-- I wore some sneakers that NEVER got the mud off of them-- several washes later they were still red.... not a bad thing, but something to be aware of if you are particular about your shoes! --
the footing (as pointed out by many) can be VERY tricky (and i imagine even more so now)

paulandtracie · Post by **paulandtracie** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 10:03 am

djmom,

We just did the hike in April with our 15 year old daughter, and believe me I was WAY more nervous than she was! She thought it was nothing to scramble up and down the trail, while I walked along in a state of near panic!

Just follow the advice here, wear good shoes, take plenty of water and stay toward the inside of the trail if possible to avoid the sheer dropoffs. Crossing the river at the end of the trail near the beach can be quite difficult, if you don't mind getting wet you can just walk across it if the water is low, but otherwise you have to scramble across boulders. We watched 2 people fall in (they were not hurt, just laughed, but watch your camera!). People leave walking sticks laying around the trail, grab one and use it for balance! Do NOT go in the water at the beach, as someone noted, there is a sign with many dozens of hashmarks indicating the number of people who have drowned there. Even if it appears calm, the rip currents will get you. The views are the most spectacular that I have ever seen on a hike, though, and it was definitely worth it. Go early - the parking lot fills up by 8:00 am and you'll add another half mile to your walk by having to park down the road, and the sun on the return trip can be brutal if you go late. Have fun, I wish we were back in Kauai right now!

Backtotheislands · Post by **Backtotheislands** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:43 am

Enjoyed your trip report and pictures! We stayed right above Hidden Beach 2 years ago and the sunsets over "Bali Hi" were awesome!I love the north shore of Kauai. The views may be more dramatic than SJ, but I agree I like snorkeling on St. John better.

DELETED · Post by **DELETED** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:23 pm

DELETED

jmq · Post by **jmq** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:01 pm

jmq · Post by **jmq** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:35 pm

Impressions of Kauai vs STJ: The biggest and most obvious difference between these two places in their size. I knew before we went that Kauai was pretty big, and but it still surprised me HOW big it is in comparison to the islands of the VIs, so much so that it is almost too much to take in on your first trip LOL.

The size of the mountains, the topography, the different environments, the dynamic weather, the sweep of the shorelines, the amazing vistas, the lushness of the north shore, and the size of the waves etc. are all pretty amazing, even mind blowing. It’s like St. John on steroids. More cars, more people, more traffic.

Indeed the size difference is substantial. Google tells me Kauai is 562 sq miles, STJ is only 28 sq miles (!), and all of the islands of the BVI add up to 59 sq miles.

The from the beach snorkeling in the VIs is way better than Kauai, the water is warmer in the Caribbean, and nothing beats those colors of the Caribbean water. On our first trip in 2005, on the ride in from the airport, my daughter kept exclaiming “Is that the ocean?!? Is that the color of the water?!?” Not the same in Kauai.

Market food prices in the VIs may even be higher than Kauai. In Kauai, stuff can be had at the Safeway at reasonable prices. There is even a Costco on the island. Re eating out, we were VERY impressed by the many kinds high quality of the fish we had in Kauai and the good options provided by the food trucks and hole-in-the-wall joints. Great fish tacos everywhere. Many more good options for lunch. Caribe and Presidente beer is way better - was not a big fan of some of the local HI brews I tried.

Folks in Kauai are quite friendly - people are very nice and real laid back. No disapproval if you forget to say “aloha!” LOL. Never saw so many old hippies in one place and old guys with gray hair down to their shoulders. I thought hey maybe I would do that too if I lived there LOL. I also liked what I call the “surfer” mentality of the people and the “surfer” vibe of the towns – way more charming than those in California. The Kauai people appear to have much more environmental awareness too - not a plastic bag to be found on the island (just a small example).

In general, St. John seems to have a more "tropical" feel to it than Kauai as STJ is more humid, doesnt have trade winds constantly blowing, and STJ has the tree frogs singing their night songs and even has that kind of musty tropical smell, and yes, also has crowing roosters but not a prevalent as Kauai LOL.

That about sums it up. Thanks.

linne · Post by **linne** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:17 pm

I haven't had the time to read your reports before now.

Kauai looks really charming and as always I admire
your photos. Just fabulous.

Thanks for the reports.

Linne

djmom · Post by **djmom** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:30 am

Jmq,
I am going back over your reports since I've been back and enjoying them even more. I'd like to thank you for your awesome photos as one of our cameras broke and the other has/had a bad lens. The quality of our photos are quite bad and I can drool on yours!

One day would like to ask you about Cinque Terre. It is next on our list and I see you have been there too. We have frequent flyer miles due to my husband's job and will hopefully have enough for that. Really interested in the hiking and food!

Sounds like we like similar vacations as we went to Switzerland last year.

Susan

usvi-on-line

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Kauai Trip Report Part 4 - North Shore