Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, Surf

Adrenaline

I gave it five stars right down the row. I like what the Trailblazer team does. Last week they led us on a fabulous journey all over the island of Kauai.

We appreciate that they explored the place and put all their findings right in this guide. Almost like our own personal guide. There's a nice burst of color in the middle that makes it snap.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

An adventure guide for Kauai

We consider the Trailblazer series the most well rounded adventure guides for Hawaii. This purchase was our fourth in their line. For organizing our itinerary before we went to Kauai, it was gold. It's all there: what to see, where the best beaches and trails are located, good full page maps with the stops numbered, and locations to surf and snorkel.

The Trailblazer tops all the other guides with it's accurate driving directions. We always knew what was up ahead by following the milemarkers on the highway which corresponded to the text in the book. There's a wealth of information packed inside and our whole family agrees it was well worth the purchase.

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The Big Picture

We took into account how much we were spendiing for our week's vacation to Kauai and how much we knew in advance, so the outlay for the purchase of this guide was peanuts. It's a whole encyclopedia, a Wikipedia, a Google-like information resource of everything you need to know about the island. And it's honest and personalized. Hikers you will be happy you own it. Beach nuts, there are some pristine beauties like Polihale and Moloaa and Annini. Follow it. Indispensible.

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Beautiful Kauai

An absolute must for visitors to the Garden Island! A fun and comprehensive guide that reads like a book-not like a sales pitch or snarky review. Nicely designed and organized.

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Grab and Go

Right before our trip I saw this glowing green cover on the bookstore shelf and had to get it. It has a layout like no other, one that makes it so easy to find places that are off the normal tourist radar. We were seeking activities that wouldn't break the bank and ones that we had to work a little harder to get to. That's where this guide paid off. The beaches on the north end of the island were just what we had fantasized finding. The directions inside this book got us there so easily. It's a gem. Very rewarding getaway, go to Kauai! Best thing, we didn't have to sign on to any tours and could be our own guides.

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The guide we could count on

One of the best reasons for bringing this book: it's accurate and new. We relied on it for all our hikes and counted on it for tips to beaches that aren't crammed. Some beauties were out on the Waimea side like Barking Sands and Salt Pond. It's less populated there and less commercial. They steered us to Waimea Canyon for some of the most dramatic cliff trails we've ever been on and the views.....wow!

Another good reason for buying it is that it's written by authors who specialize in Hawaii and are noncorporate types who have done all the research themselves. It felt like a "for adventures only" book, personized just for us. You get it that they love the place.

We got our moneysworth tenfold.

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Trusted Co-pilot

We kind of overdue it on guidebooks, buying a bunch before we leave and then taking a few along with us. This book turned out to be the one we counted on. It has ALL the good stuff, plus lots that simply was not in other guide books. I loved the way it is written (clearly, with just enough background to give depth without overdoing it) and organized. It is loaded with photos. We started calling Kauai Trailblazer "the co-pilot" because whenever we lagged in ideas of what to do, this book was right there to add adventure to our trip. You should definitely add this wonderful book to your pack list when going to Kauai. These guys know their stuff!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Super valuable

Kauai delivered adventures every day we were there. The smart thing to do is read it way before going to plan outings and get a general sense of the island. We had a basic plan for our six days and tweaked it according to the weather (some days we had light rain). In advance we booked a boat tour along the Napali Coast and tried snuba.

Locals there emphasize safety and the authors include lots of advice to keep you out of trouble especially in the water. The Trailblazer is a wealth of trail information and directions and pictures and maps and everything we needed for sightseeing. You will need it if you like to hike. We own the Nook version too where it comes alive in color.

Great Book, A must have for your trip

This book was super helpful. I have had others in the past, but this book is just set up nicely. There are driving trips planned for you, which when traveling with kids is essential. I have been to Kauai many times, and this book helps you find the beautiful places in Kauai much easier.

Best Hawaii vacation

We just got back from the Big Island of Hawaii and Kauai. We went Trailblazer all the way, no regrets. Both these ebooks were great for us first-timers, especially strong for finding trails in places you wouldn't expect. So many times we'd turn by turn follow their driving directions, pull into an unsigned road, find the trail marker and follow their directions to the most spectacular views with breathtaking photo-ops. They indicate how long the hike will take, a big plus for us since we wanted to fill out each day with an adventure or two. Details, accuracy, fun insights, maps and photos almost on every page. It doesn't get much better. Oh, and you'll need it too to find the isolated beaches: Larsons on kauai and Browns on the Big Island.

Added it to our Nook library for Kauai trip

It was so handy having the Kauai Trailblazer stowed in our Nook. We've been to Kauai before (honeymoon) and never realized there was such a developed trail system all over the island. Everything is linked so it made it real easy to look up and decide where to go for the day. Many times we let the pictures do the deciding.

Invigorating vacation this time - these authors deliver an extremely well organized, beautifully illustrated guidebook. Never boring with plenty of potential danger warnings for surfing and hiking. Delivers full vacation value.

Going Light

Second trip to Kauai. Since I already own a print copy of Kauai Trailblazer, I can plan our itinerary at home and follow-up on my Nook when I'm there. Hikes with these guys doesn't get any better. The trail descriptions and directions will come in real handy on the go. Revolutionary way to travel with all the info at our fingertips.

Guide to explore Kauai with

What I like about this book is that it's up to date. The color picture section is stunning and brings to life this beautiful island. The hikes are well described, you know what you're in for and the author's attitude and tone mirrors what we saw....tropical beauty like no other island. The northern end was especially lush and we tended to spend much of our time there as it had the wildest beaches.

They couple the trailheads with some history which enriched our experience and made us more appreciative of where we were. Restaurants they like, they're in here too, just enough in each area of the island to make a choice. The Kauai Trailblazer concentrates on outdoor sports which is exactly what we were looking for. These are good authors to travel with and I recommend it for inspiration alone.

The right book for Kauai

Number one purchase. The Trailblazer reduced our expenses dramatically. With two kids along we were able to plan our ten days on Kauai around outdoor activities that cost zero. Compared to the other guidebooks, this one is designed to follow along the highway that skirts the coast.

We looked for safe beaches to snorkel and stand up paddle. The equipment we rented the first day we arrived. The Sprouts write very good directions. If you haven't been there it orients and gets you ready for what to expect and has all the best choices for island trails. Some beauties took us to the interior rainforests and ridges for gorgeous views. Kauai has awesome beaches, you will definitelly need this guide to find them.

A standout guide for this island

I recommend this book. My wife and I just returned from a three week trip to Kauai and found this guide to be the most useful resource. Page after page of photographs and activities so beautifully organized. It outshines all the other guides and we brought along the big three.

Practical advice is included along with the island's history so when you're hiking along the place has some significance. Thanks to their advice we were prepared for the sudden downpours and unexpected dropoffs up in Waimea Canyon. Having the Kauai Trailblazer is power.

Hiking Kauai

Initially we bought this for our family dayhikes. When we opened it up for the first time we were surprised to find out so many other things to do. Surfing was on our list but we hadn't thought of snorkeling. Once we got to Kauai, saw the clear water, we flipped to their Resource Link pages in the back, followed their suggestions to the rental outfitters and were out the next day underwater flippering around with the schools of fish. If you want a vacation full of adventure, be prepared and start here.

As good as it gets

So many of our friends recommended this guidebook that we brought it along for hiking. We were sure surpised to find out it included alot more than trails. Everything that you could possibly do outdoors on Kauai is in it. When our zodiac coastal tour was cancelled we quickly turned to the options listed in their kayaking recommendations and paddled up the Hanalei River which turned out to be more fun since the outfitters rented their equipment for 24 hours. Next morning we took it out into Hanalei Bay. This guide is spiked with humor and safety precautions and practical insider advice. The directions for driving around are extremely accurate. If you like your information presented in an organized fashion, you will like this book. In a week we couldn't cram in all the activities we so wanted to do. We are returning in the summertime with my folks who want to try some easy hikes. Nice thing about this guide, it has something for all levels, even kids.

The Kauai Trailblazer

Skimming it before we left, this guide got us revved up for Kauai before going. We circled all the to-do's and maybe-to-do's from their Best Of pages. Two weeks later we were there and it really showed it's stuff and the payoff in adventure tips and places to go was huge.

Directory like with listings and directions, it has a nice clean layout, perfect for picking where to go and driving right to the trail. The Sprouts share their exhuberance for the island, the writing style is upbeat and fun. Don't bring white hiking shoes - they will never be the same - red mud will getcha.

Arrived fast

It took only three days to get to me. Thanks B&N! At my leisure I poured over it page by page with photo after photo and therefore got to know all about the island. I roughed out a day by day itinerary and marked the important sites and trails in yellow highlight pen. Being organized for the trip made me feel less anxious, more confident. This guidebook is packed with so much info with all the directions to so many dreamy trails. I loved Kauai.

Keep returning to the Trailblazer series

Kauai Island has always been our hiking choice and we've also used these books on Hawaii Island and Maui. We bought this year's edition for our trip in October and we picked up on some new juicy spots to hike. It went with us everywhere, a real jewel. No other guidebook has such a clean format. When you're in one place, they fill you in with what else there is to see in the vicinity. That's valuable!


Note: They sell the older edition on this site, so make sure you get this one, the most current.