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Getting Around on Kauai

Public transportation

Kauai now has bus service; the regular fare as of March 2002 is $1.50/regular fare, $0.75 for seniors, students, and disabled people (drivers have the authority to ask for identification). Call the County of Kauai Transportation Agency at (808) 241-6410 from 7 A.M. to 5 P.M. Monday through Saturday to get more information, including a copy of the bus schedule. The bus will get you to the island’s major communities but, alas, not to most of the trailheads in this book. Consider using the bus to explore the island’s settled areas and renting a car only on those days you want to hike from trailheads that are too far from your lodgings or any bus stop. Some rules for the bus are: carry-ons limited to 9” x 14” x 22”; no oversized backpacks and baggage; no boogie boards; no food or drink, no smoking, and no profanity on buses; no drop-offs at undesignated bus stops.

Driving

If your plans include hikes that public transportation can’t get you to, you should arrange for a rental car well in advance of your visit. Ask for a modest vehicle in a drab color so it’s inconspicuous when parked at trailheads. Get a road map of Kauai in advance, perhaps from one of the national automobile clubs if you belong to one. It’s good to be able to study the map in advance and have some notion of the island’s roads before you tackle them. Some of the maps provided by tourist bureaus are so cute they’re useless.

An excellent map covering the entire island and especially good for driving is James A. Bier’s Map of Kauai from University of Hawaii Press. This is one in a series of similar, outstanding, color maps for all the major islands. They’re inexpensive and updated frequently. They include street maps of major towns and indexes to streets and points of interest. If you can’t find them on the mainland, you’ll find them in abundance in Hawaii, at nearly every grocery store, drugstore, and souvenir stand.

Driving on Kauai is generally slower than on the mainland, thank goodness. The major highways are two-lane roads except for a few stretches near Lihue, the county seat. The speed limit is as high as 50 miles an hour on some stretches, but they are exceptions. Count on an average speed of 30 miles an hour around the island. Look out for morning and evening traffic jams around Lihue. Driving time can make serious inroads in your hiking time.

Hiking

Road maps are useless for hiking trails. For trail maps, I recommend the maps in this book and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) 7½’ series of topographic (“topo”) maps for Kauai. Topos show elevation details as well as roads and trails. However, topos are not updated as often as you’d like. That’s why you should use them in conjunction with the maps in this book and maps from the agencies in charge of the island’s hiking areas, the Division of State Parks, Kauai District, and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Kauai District. If you do not write for the latter in advance, you will need to go into Lihue to get them. See their addresses in “Permits” in this book.

Kauai is covered by 11 topos, as shown in the illustration left. It’s also nice to have the USGS Kauai County topo map. If your mainland back-packing store does not carry the Kauai topos, you may get them in person or by mail from:

Western Distribution Branch

U.S. Geological Survey

Box 25286, Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

or

Western Mapping Center (NCIC-W)

U.S. Geological Survey

345 Middlefield Road

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Write first for catalogs and prices. When you order the maps, enclose your check for the required amount, made out to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Or there may be a store near you that specializes in maps. Look in your telephone directory under “Maps.”

The Division of Land and Natural Resources on Kauai now publishes an excellent topographic map of Kauai showing all the trails maintained by the State of Hawaii. This two-sided, color map also includes summaries of the forest reserves, trails, and camping and hunting regulations on Kauai. You can get the map by sending a 10” x 13” stamped, self-addressed envelope to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife; see their address in “Permits” in this book. The map is big—two feet wide and almost three feet long!—so either call to find out the exact postage required or put at least four first-class stamps on your stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Another useful map is Earthwalk Press’s Recreation Map of Northwestern Kauai. Earthwalk Press’s maps include topographic data, trail descriptions, and a wealth of other information. If you can’t find their maps in your travel store, call them at (800) 828-MAPS.