Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, Surf, 3rd Edition

Adventure style guide

Kauai is beautiful and we saw all we could see in 7 days with the Trailblazer guide. Truly beautiful beaches grace the north shore and we did our share of checking out all the snorkeling from Anini Beach to Ke'e. Really it was paradise there. The only paid tour we took was a Napali Coast sailing outing, all the rest of our sightseeing was free thanks to the hiking and driving directions inside.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Kauai

The way a guidebook ought to be. We like the layout and all the helpful tips. Our vacation was a blast. Our visit last week took us to two islands. The Oahu Trailblazer was equally as useful and entertaining.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Kauai Trailblazer: 5 star rating

We were on Kauai for our honeymoon. We packed around the Kauai Trailblazer for guidance and depended on it like a compass. It contains good solid and honest information for all kinds of sports, especially HIKES! We stayed on the trails as it advised and never ran into trouble or got lost. There are so many awesome hikes inside this book, we regretted not booking a longer stay.

The way the book is laid out is spectacular with cross sections of maps for orientation. Photos are on practically every page. There are resources with all the necessary telephone numbers and addresses. It was entertaining and a perfect vacation companion.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Kauai Up Front

Our friends in Kauai recommended this guide. It won us over with it's honesty and true portrayal of the island. The authors live there and cover every speck of turf. We had a wild and wonderful vacation for two weeks. Contains more detail than all the others and is also better written. Note: not just a hiking book. All the watersports are in it too.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This guide has it ALL

Two weeks vacation. Used our green guide to sheperd the way. So many cool beaches. Dipped into beautiful grottos and hit the highs on the famous Kalalau Trail. Found pretty little Anahola Beach and snorkeled all afternoon. Our time there was stupendous thanks to these amazing authors.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Best Outdoor Activity Guidebook to Kauai

There are four activity guidebooks in this wonderful series: Kauai Trailblazer, Maui Trailblazer, Oahu Trailblazer, and Hawaii the Big Island Trailblazer (there is also a great planning guide to all the islands called No Worries Hawaii). I have been reviewing guidebooks for many years (and, in fact, wrote several well-received guides to travel guides in the pre-Internet era) and I can say without reservation that these four books are the best available for Hawaii. The authors, Jerry and Janine Sprout, have been roaming the Hawaiian islands for decades and taking a lot of useful notes and beautiful photos along the way. All of this translates into a wonderful, informative read (I've read them all cover to cover) even if you're only an armchair traveler dreaming of a vacation in the land of aloha. You¿ll learn a lot about these magical, magnificent places in addition to the activities that best meet your needs. No matter which island you pick, each book is similarly organized and equally well done. And the black-and-white photos are a joy. (If you're not sure where you're headed, their planning guide, No Worries Hawaii, can help you decide which island to head for and what part of that island makes the most sense). Important tip: Be sure to read the ¿How to Use This Book¿ section to learn how to get the most out these great resource books. And don¿t miss the ¿Best Of¿ section, which is divided into lots of useful categories from waterfall walks, big views, and sunset beaches to town strolls, gardens, and perfect places with little walking¿there is something here for everyone. There are also good maps to orient you. Driving and parking directions are excellent¿no small trick in a place where the only sign to tell you you¿ve arrived may be a small mile marker along the highway. You¿ll definitely want to learn two new, directional words, which are very helpful in a land surrounded by water: makai¿meaning ¿toward the ocean,¿ and mauka¿meaning ¿inland or toward the mountains.¿ Read carefully, follow along and the Sprouts will get you to some places few tourists ever go. Each walk or hike provides parking instructions, round-trip distances, elevation gained, and other practical information. Hiking/walking directions are also very well done. In general, you won¿t need a topographical map, but for more serious hikes some folks may feel more comfortable with one. Other activities at each location, such as surfing, biking, snorkeling, are carefully described as well. Practical information on every possible subject includes great driving tours, the best stuff for kids, climate, important resource numbers, and cryptic but very well chosen lists of the best food and lodging choices in each area. Whatever all-purpose guide you choose, don¿t visit the islands without the appropriate Trailblazer guide in hand. It will make all the difference.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Beauty Beauty Everywhere

This is a get-down, user friendly practical guide. We referred to it everyday. Tons of good information and a straighforward approach to seeing it ALL. Two weeks in paradise, we love Kauai!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommend for outdoor guide

This is the one our friends recommended. We spent three weeks on Kauai and a day didn't go by that it wasn't picked up and used. It made our days full and we ended up not spending on any package tours. The money we saved allowed us to eat out more. So many discoveries are inside that we would have never found on our own.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Second visit to Kauai. We made up for lost time and really got to know all the beaches and gorgeous trails. This book has perfect directions and plenty of photos to illustrate. Stay more than 7 days if you can, the days went by fast. The book covers all of the island. There was something worth seeing every day and our gas expenses were minimal since the book is organized geographically. When we were in the Poipu area we found many places to hike, swim and snorkel and walk close to the hotel. We rented kayaks and paddled close to shore. The Trailblazer detailed short driving tours for sightseeing. Everything we needed to know, maps included, were inside. Enriched our vacation!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

We bought the Trailblazer after reading their No Worries Hawaii guidebook. First hand advice from authors who trek all the islands paid off. Rate 5 stars for detail. You will need their driving directions. Gas prices were high but we were able to economize since they give you over ten things to do in one general area. Hertz had the best deal.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Rainbow world

We dug into the pages a week before leaving Eugene. This is a really good guide and we're glad we had it to show us around. It was our first visit and we found the hiking environment on Kauai unbelievably magical. Liked all the photos.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just back

We genuinely loved Kauai. We're considering moving there just because of the warm climate and lazy laid back charm. The Kauai Trailblazer was a godsend, exactly what we needed to tool around. It's very organized and took us behind the scenes, on trails and rivers that made us feel very far away from civilization. We didn't have to buy a map, they're all inside. A great escape. This guide filled in all the blanks.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Go with the pros

My husband recently had knee surgery so we didn't use the hiking section and concentrated on the watersport listings, the ones we could drive to. Kealia Beach, Poipu Beach, Anini Beach and Barking Sands Beach were at the top of our list. The directions and maps and four driving tours that covered the whole island were indispensible. This book totally immersed us in Kauai's tropical wonderland - super vacation.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well done

Both of us read this guide cover to cover before leaving. We knew what to expect. Nice photos. This is a wonderful complete resource.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Kauai demystified

A gem of a guidebook! We read the book before leaving and got to know the lay of the island. The authors don't waste space on pages and pages of restaurants or hotel reviews. Who needs that. Two pages of recommendations for each was plenty to make our choices and they rate them pricey, moderate or cheap.

What this guide does do is get down to the nitty gritty of everything happening in the great outdoors. There were over 100 hiking trails described, all categorized according to what's best about each: "falls and river hikes", "long and scenic beaches", "trees and jungle", for example. How to find the trailhead, description of path, what to watch out for safetywise, all included. Total package, great guide!

Trailblazer Kauai

What's makes this guide stand apart from all the others is its organization of info. Their maps kept us oriented and made it so easy to prioritize our daily activities. We had our GPS along but it stayed in the pack. We paid close attention to the highway milemarkers, indicators in the text where to turn off and find the trail. You'd never know quiet Moloaa Beach was there unless you had this book.

We spent one afternoon biking and swimming along the Kapaa Coast. All the equipment rental addresses are in the back pages. Best sandy entrances were noted. Although the island was all new to us, we felt confident exploring it with the Trailblazer. Definitely a vacation of a lifetime.

Kauai's Outdoor Bible

We saw this book at a friend's and had to buy it. We wanted to know all about Kauai before getting there. This Trailblazer is the most well written guide for the island. We've looked at all of them and for the price, this one offers way more places to go and things to do. Presentation gets an A++. They also get big points for all the photos.

Most Complete Guide for Kauai

We recently visited Kauai and the Big Island. Kauai was our favorite because it was less touristy. This guide served us well and was our main resource for activities. It's very lush there and if you don't know where you're going you could get lost. We had a great time exploring the Waimea Canyon trails. Being novice hikers we heavily relied on their detailed mileage and descriptions. Lots of pictures inside.

Things to do on Kauai

We definitely enjoyed this guide. It is very complete with lovely photographs embellishing almost every page. Our vacation was made a whole lot better by following all their ideas and tips. Their directions never failed, spot on, well written and displayed.

We are already perusing their Big Island Trailblazer for our Labor Day holiday and will use it for sightseeing and hiking and biking.

A winner

I'm a beach and hiking fan. This guide suited me perfectly with it's detailed directions to popular and offbeat locations. For those still deciding if Kauai is right for their vacation, buy the book for a complete preview with pictures. I've been back 4 times and still not running out of stops. I like its clean no-fuss design. Same goes for their Maui and Oahu guides.