A Morning Jog At Poipu, Kauai

Basic Information

• Name: Poipu Jogging Course
• Where: Kauai, Hawaii
• Distance: 4 miles
• More Info: GPS Visualizer

Narrative

One of my favorite activities whenever I am visiting Kauai is to get up early and go for a jog.  From the Sheraton Kauai Resort where I usually stay at I have measured out a 4 mile course that is all sidewalk and provides some beautiful early morning views of the island:

The first part of the jog begins by running by the various beach resorts and condos located along Poipu Raod where it then passes through this foliage:

From here the path crosses the main traffic circle intersection at Poipu and then passes by the Shops at Kukuiula and its nearby housing development along Ala Kalanikaumaka Road:

The Shops at Kukuilula is actually quite nice and well worth checking out, however the housing development has been experiencing financial difficulties and has been called a ghost town in paradise.  Looking towards the housing development it didn’t appear there was a whole lot of construction going on over there:

Anyway from here the jogging path begins to ascend up hill and away from the beach. This is where the path goes through a stretch of beautiful farm country:

The early morning sunrise only makes this part of the island all that more beautiful:

Something I highly recommend is trying some of Kauai’s all natural beef and some of the cattle that provides that beef can seen grazing along the jogging path:

Something else of interest to take notice of along the jogging path is the cactus that is found all around the Poipu area:

This cactus is not native to Hawaii but was used by early farmers and ranchers as a substitute for fencing along with the native volcanic rock:

Long ago metal for barb wire fencing was in short supply due to how far it had to be imported thus cactus was a clever substitute used by the locals.  It is of course no longer used today, but some remnants of its historical use is visible in the Poipu area.

Here is another plant that is not native to Hawaii but is commonly seen is the Norfolk Island Pine:

Despite not being native to the islands it is widely used by Hawaiian craftsman to make bowls.  Here is another tree I jogged past that I don’t know what it is called but it looks similar to “Walking Trees” I saw on Oahu:

Besides trees there is also plenty of flowers to see along the path as well:

The jogging path ends near the small village of Koloa where usually views of Mt. Waialeale are obscured by clouds but on some mornings some peaks from the mountain are visible:

Mt. Waialeale is considered the wettest place on Earth because of the fact that it receives approximately 452 inches of rain every year.  Its wettest year on record is 683 inches of rain in 1982.

Conclusion

From the end of the path I just turn around and run back to the Sheraton.  I measured the route using my rental car’s odometer and from the point where I begin my run at the Sheraton it comes out to exactly 4 miles.  So for anyone looking for a nice morning jog with little traffic, great views, and a paved path the entire way this route I highly recommend checking out.