Hello I was in Kauai In October (3rd trip) and the road to access the Na Pali coast trailhead near Ke’e beach was still closed from spring flooding damage earlier in the year. There was a roadblock / check point in Hanalei that restricted access only to property owners who were granted permits to access their properties. It will be difficult to access the Kalalau trail without access to the trailhead at the end of the road at Ke’e Beach. When we left the island, it was still unforeseen as to when road access would be restored past Hanalei. That being said, to my knowledge your only options currently will be to take a helicopter or boat tour to experience the Na Pali coast. The rough ends of Na Pali coast extend from Ke’e beach to Polihale beach. There are view points of the end of Kalalau trail and Na Pali coast from the top of Waimea Canyon, which is also a great area for hiking as a backup since Kalalau might still be hard to access. All helicopter tours fly a similar if not identical route that follows the same clockwise direction around the island. We flew Blue Hawaiian helicopter tours that left from the airport in Lihue. It was a great flight that flew us around the entire island including into the crater of Waieleele, Waimea Canyon and along the Na Pali Coast. Even after requesting a window seat prior to our flight, I was still given a middle seat and was told it was due to weight balance reasons. Despite this occurring, we still had a great flight and we highly recommend a helicopter tour. As for a boat cruise along Na Pali, there are several companies that give cruises on nice sized catamaran sailboats. Not only are there several companies to choose from, but there are several different cruises available including snorkeling cruises and evening dinner cruises. One even goes as far as the neighboring islands of Ni’ihau and Lehua for snorkeling. Many boat trip tours depart from Port Allen such as Captain Andy’s and Blue Dolphin. Although it’s possible to depart from other parts of the island, the key piece to remember is allowing yourself enough time to drive to your destination without “missing the boat”. Traffic on certain parts of the island can really ruin your plans for the day especially if stuck in traffic in Kapaa or near Lihue. Keep in mind where you’re staying on the island and where your tour departs from. If you’re staying on the North side of the island near Princeville, helicopter tours leaving Princeville and boat tours leaving Hanalei Bay will be more convenient then driving back to Lihue or Port Allen for trip departure. Hope this helps with your trip planning. We stay in Kapaa, which roughly serves as a halfway point on the island road system and allows us to pick a North or South Island direction for the day. Kapaa traffic can be a nightmare, but we know this in advance and make a point to leave our hotel early in the morning on days that we want to drive around the island versus spending the day at the resort. To drive from Hanalei to Waimea and back in one day makes for a very long day especially when exploring and making several stops along the way. Safe travels.

October 2018 Update: Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park (including the Kalalau Trail) on Kauai are still closed due to flood damage as well as the highway and bridges which access the parks. This includes the first two miles of the trail. The whole trail is inaccessible & closed for hikers and/or kayakers. Repairs to the damaged roads and trail are in process and expected to last at least into January of 2019. With additional storms events (Lane, Olivia), and additional damage discovered as they do repairs has caused a reevaluation of the repair time. The roads and trail could be closed into mid-2019. Quoting park website. Nepali COAST trails closed

the park is open, and there are a number of entrances from the Wiamea valley road to the park. but the trails can be steep, and can get very slippery in the rain, so you should do some research before planning a hike there. there is a popular walk to the top of a waterfall at the end of the canyon.