| Powerline Trail, South and North Views Powerline Trail is an incredible hike which cuts the island almost in half. The trail has two starting points. You can begin outside Wailua past the Keahua Forest Arboretum, or the end of the road past the Princeville Stables. The trail starts at approximately 620 feet (south view), and you continually climb for the next five miles until you reach an altitude of approximately 2,000 feet before descending into Hanalei Valley on the northern side of the island. Powerline Trail South View : The trail leading from Wailua is very lush with tropical views of the native Hawaiian rainforest and waterfalls. To reach the trail, turn off on Hwy 580 and go 8 miles past Coco Palms, Opaekaa Falls, and the Keahua Forest Arboretum. After crossing the stream past the KFA, the road turns to packed dirt and the parking area is about ¼ mile up the hill on the north side of the road. The trail is a hunting and service road for the transmission powerline companies. The trail begins uphill with rocky bowling ball sized slick rocks. The trail changes to slick red dirt after ¼ mile and has 5 foot ferns lining the dirt roadway path. There are some pretty steep sections followed by low areas filled with large water puddles crossing the road and trail. Usually there is a pathway around the water which is just water in deep road ruts. There are several nice overlooks and after 2 ½ miles you reach the Lower and Upper Kapakanui Falls. The falls are located against a mountain covered in ferns and different shades of green. That was our destination and then turned around to hike back to our car. Powerline Trail North View : To reach the trail from the north, take the Princeville Ranch Stable turn off and go to the end of the road about 2 miles. There is a small parking lot next to the green water tank. The trail rolls gently up and down for the first 2 miles. There are several smaller trails both left and right that come off the main trail. These trails are dead ends and are viewing spots and after a quick look you’ll turn back around to connect with the main trail. The best viewing spot is about ½ mile up on the north side. You begin the smaller trail through a nice clearing with ferns growing around the trees. We counted aver 10 waterfalls from the overlook looking down a beautiful green and lush valley. The largest fall was Namolokama Falls on the north face of Namolokama Mountain. The trail starting from the north view has 180 feet of elevation change the first 2 miles. |
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Powerline Trail, South and North Views
