Kauai Camping Tips

Setting up the tent at Haena Beach Park

On our first morning in Hanalei, we awoke to the sound of someone not so pleasantly knocking on our tent at 6am. I covered myself with a blanket and stuck my head out of the tent still cloudy from too many Longboard Lagers the night before, “Say huh?” The man dressed in park ranger garb stated firmly, “Permits please.” I rifled through my pack to find the permit I had purchased months before and showed it to the park ranger before passing back out.

We showed up at Hanalei Beach Park late in the afternoon the day before and there were no signs telling us where to camp or what to do so we just put up our tent and hoped for the best. We had a permit to camp at the Hanalei Beach Park for two nights before heading off on the Kalalau Trail.

Beautiful Hanalei Bay

This was the first trip I have ever been on where I made accommodation plans ahead of time. Maybe I am finally growing up and getting organized or maybe I had heard too many horror stories about the camping police in Kauai.

The permit process was a pain. We had to send photocopies of our IDs and mail a money order (no personal checks accepted) to Hawaii Parks and Recreation months before our visit and then we weren’t even granted our preferred campgrounds – not Mahalo.

Aside from the annoying permit process, the camping was spectacular. As of summer 2010, camping in Kauai only costs $3/person per night in the state and county beach parks. That means for only $21/ week, you can pretty much roll out of your tent and right into the ocean.

The camp areas have flush toilets, sinks for brushing your teeth (but don’t even thinking about washing anything else in them), and open outdoor showers (the kind that are for rinsing your feet off, not getting naked in). Don’t expect a whole lot of privacy though; campers can plop down anywhere since there are no designated camping spots. For $3 a night and with these kinds of views, I wouldn’t care if we were sitting tent to tent.

Enjoying some vino at sunset

Getting Camping Permits in Kauai

1) Purchase your permits by mail well ahead of time through the Hawaii Parks Peeps.

2) Don’t have a permit, no problem. Have your cash ready and be super apologetic when the park ranger comes a knocking. If you’re nice and have some cash on you, the odds of the ranger slapping a huge fine on you are pretty low. You can always pack up your tent before 6am and avoid the fees all together. But without a permit, there’s always going to a bit of risk and the fines are steep.

3) If for some reason you don’t get your permits in time for your trip, call their office at 808-241-4463 to check on their status. Some people camping next to us had a full on battle with the park ranger since they had sent in a money order and received no permits. Accusing the park system of scamming them is probably not the best way to avoid a fine.

More Tips for Camping in Kauai

1) Bring along some string and a plastic bag to rig your permit up on the outside of the tent to avoid getting woken up by the park ranger every morning at 6am.

2) Get to your campground early in the day so you can score a spot under a tree.

3) Beware of maintenance days. Each park is closed for at least one day during the week for “maintenance.” Campers need to be out of the park by 10am on those days.

4) I highly recommend bringing along some rope or a travel clothesline to put up next to your tent. It is the quickest way to meet your neighbors who might offer up some fresh mangoes for some clothesline space.