Shipwreck Beach & the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail | The most under-rated hike on Kauai!

One of the best trails for all ages on Kauai is the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail. This is a 2 mile point-to-point coastal trail that runs along side some of the most beautiful wave-crashing cliffs on South Kauai.
The trail can be caught in two different places. We chose to watch the sunrise at Shipwreck Beach so started there. You can park in the beach parking or there is street parking a little further up the road leading to beach. It was an incredibly windy morning and the rain had just moved out, so the waves were in full swing. The surfers were taking advantage of this and we watched them for a while. I’m usually pretty good at singular sports, but surfing is the one thing that I continue to fail at, so I greatly admire those that have the agility and ability. So, instead, I whirled and played tag with the ocean waves on the shore and enjoyed the beautiful sand between my toes.
Next, we started our trek. The trail starts between a grassy, picnic area and the beach; there is a small embankment to climb up, but nothing too hard, especially for Kauai.
This hike is such a beautiful experience. There are areas where the trail is wide so you don’t feel crowded by any others you may encounter. You can almost have your own journey, which is magical for a hike like this. By the way, we wore closed toed Keen sandals for the trek, but easily could’ve done it in sneakers. No poles are needed.
The path takes you along cliffs, but if this makes you nervous, you can easily navigate more inland. It’s the beauty of this hike. These cliffs are Lithified sand dunes- ancient sand dunes that have hardened into limestone and contain fossils of coral and algae. This process took over 125,000 years!
The next part of the hike takes you to a Native Hawaiian temple or heiau. The cultural definition of heiau is a place of worship where mana (divine energy) is transferred and concentrated through ritual and prayer. Do not touch, play on or remove artifacts from this site. If you brought your family with you, please watch your children. This space is sacred and the whole area should be treated with respect. This is approximately half-way.
If you decide to continue, the trail will take you along a golf course to Maha’ulepu Beach, also known as Gillin’s Beach. The surf is pretty rough here usually; this beach is best known for windsurfing. Do not enter the water if you are not a strong and experienced swimmer. The beach is also known for monk seal sightings as well as sea turtles, so please do not disturb and keep your distance.
You can also pop in to see the tortoises at the sanctuary near the beach, or duck to explore the Makauwahi Cave, but that wasn’t on our agenda this day. This is the biggest limestone cave in the Hawaiian archipelago and includes an amazing sinkhole, where the cave ceiling collapsed. The cave is open for free guided tours (with a recommended donation) daily. You can park near CJM stables to access this side of the trail to start or to see the cave or tortoises.
This trail should not be missed and is totally free! You can choose what side to begin at or how far to go. Even for a short jaunt, the views are worth it. I hope you enjoy my footage. It’s some of my favorite from the trip.