Koke'e State Park

Sprawling Koke'e State Park is the starting point for almost 50 miles of outstanding hiking trails. Here, you'll see terrain unlike that found anywhere else on the island, including the largest concentration of extant native bird species in Hawaii.

Remote Alaka'i Swamp in particular is a unique view of Kaua'i's native ecosystem; not only is the swamp inhospitable to exotic species but, due to its high elevation, it is one of the few places across Hawaii where mosquitoes, which transmit avian diseases, do not flourish. Ancient Hawaiians never established a permanent village in these chilly highlands and came mainly to collect feathers from forest birds and to cut koa trees for canoes. But an extraordinarily steep ancient Hawaiian trail once ran down the cliffs from Koke'e (ko-keh-eh) to Kalalau Valley on the Na Pali Coast. Today the park's only paved road will take you to the Kalalau Lookout, a coastal overlook among the most breathtaking across the Hawaiian islands.