I often get emails from people around the world telling me that they planned a trip to Hawaii to hike the Kalalau Trail and they just found out that there are no permits available. They usually ask questions like:
- Can I be put on a waiting list?
- Will more permits be issued at a later time?
- Are permits necessary?
- Can I buy somebody else’s permit?
- What can be done? I already bought my plane ticket!
- Can I hike the trail without a permit if I don’t camp?
- Can I get a permit to camp at Hanakoa instead of Kalalau?
If I bought a ticket for Milolii, can I go on the Kalalau Trail even if it is not a Kalalau ticket ?
No, Milolii is not related to Kalalau and a Milolii permit doesn’t give you access to Kalalau Trail.
Hi there, do I need a permit for any hiking trail on Kauai? Because Kalalau Trail is sold out, I bought a permit for Koke’e State Park. I do not intend to camp overnight (neither at Kalalau Trail nor at Koke’e State Park). But I was wondering if I always need a permit to enter any state park to hike?!
You need a Kalalau Trail permit to hike the Kalalau Trail whether or not you plan to camp. You can only hike the first 2 miles of the trail without a permit. Permits are not needed for all trails. You’ll have to check into each trail specifically to find out if a permit is required.