The NouNou (aka Sleeping Giant) trail is a popular hiking trail on the east side of Kauai, Hawaii. Legend has it there was a giant who ate too many rocks and ended up laying down to sleep for a long time…
By climbing the Sleeping Giant Trail you will be rewarded with a beautiful view ocean view of Kapa’a. There are 3 trails to get to the top – East, West or Kuamoo. Since Kuamoo trailhead was closed and I had trouble find the West trailhead, I ended up going up the east trailhead.
Directions to Sleeping Giant – East trail.
Follow Google directions to “Nounou-East Trail”. There is a small dirt parking lot at the trailhead that looks like this:
The trail is pretty straightforward and there is only one path (unless you decide to go off trail, which I do not recommend). Along the way you may encounter muddy trails so be careful when it’s wet!
Near the top this trail connects with the NouNou west trail. When you get to the junction, follow the sign to the “Nounou trail shelter”. Shortly after you will end up at a picnic area on a grassy area. On the left side you will find a bench and a beautiful view.
If you want to continue hiking to the giant’s head/nose, keep going straight past the picnic tables and you will find a narrow path that leads to a rock “scramble” (it’s more like rock climbing) to get to the head/nose. Here is a picture of the rocks you must climb to get to the top.
If you end up going to the top you will be rewarded with a 360 degree view. If you decide not to go up (I did not climb the rocks) the views from the picnic area and along the way are already very beautiful.
Words of caution: the trail can get very slippery and dangerous when wet. Even when I hiked on a dry day I ended up hiking in many muddy areas and I could only imagine how bad it could get after some rain. Be careful!
Alternate trail – Kuamoo trail
Follow Google directions to Kuamoo trailhead. There is no parking lot for this but you can park alongside the fence on the street (check street signs). People live in this area so please be respectful!
Have lots of fun!