Alakai Swamp Trail, Cloud Forest, Kauai, Hawaii

Adam Haydock
Jun 28
1 min read

The Alakai Swamp is the highest elevation swamp in the world — situated in the collapsed caldera of Mt. Waialeale where impermeable lava created an impermeable plateau that catches 360 days of rain per year. The trail breaks from the Pihea Trail into a swampy marsh with extraordinary plant life: the rare drosera anglica bug-eating sundew plant grows at ground level. Orange Ohia Lehua blossoms and Hapuu ferns line the boardwalk. Everything at this elevation has adapted to constant wet and wind — altered grass tips gone black, dwarf pine trees deformed by the elements. Part of a 14-mile day combining the Pihea Trail and the Alakai Swamp Trail for a complete Koke'e wilderness immersion.

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Alakai Swamp Trail, Cloud Forest, Kauai, Hawaii

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