Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is a long
trailA trail is a path or road used for walking, cycling, cross-country skiing, or other activities. Some trails are off-limits to everyone other than hikers, and a few trails allow motorized vehicles....
located on the island of
HawaiiThe Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the U.S. State of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean...
. It is not yet a continuous "trail", but can be accessed at several broken segments along the coastline of the big island. The trail was established to access the traditional
Ancient HawaiiAncient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD.300-800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
an culture along with the natural
geologyGeology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structure, physical properties, dynamics, and history of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed...
of the island. Currently managed under the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, the trail was established in 2000 as a
National Historic TrailNational Historic Trail is a designation for a protected area in the United States containing historic trails and surrounding areas.National Historic Trails were authorized under the National Trails System Act of 1968 along with National Scenic Trails and National Recreation Trails...
.
Ala kaha kai means "shoreline trail" in the
Hawaiian LanguageThe Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
.
The trail follows the coastline over ancient fishermen's trails through over 200 ahupuaa, the traditional sea to mountain land divisions.
In ancient times travel would often cover both land, and sea in canoes for portions of the journey.
It passes through both public and private lands, providing access to numerous beaches and resorts.
Much of the trail receives only limited maintenance and sections have been eroded or developed into roads.
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Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is a long
trailA trail is a path or road used for walking, cycling, cross-country skiing, or other activities. Some trails are off-limits to everyone other than hikers, and a few trails allow motorized vehicles....
located on the island of
HawaiiThe Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the U.S. State of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean...
. It is not yet a continuous "trail", but can be accessed at several broken segments along the coastline of the big island. The trail was established to access the traditional
Ancient HawaiiAncient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD.300-800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
an culture along with the natural
geologyGeology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structure, physical properties, dynamics, and history of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed...
of the island. Currently managed under the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, the trail was established in 2000 as a
National Historic TrailNational Historic Trail is a designation for a protected area in the United States containing historic trails and surrounding areas.National Historic Trails were authorized under the National Trails System Act of 1968 along with National Scenic Trails and National Recreation Trails...
.
Ala kaha kai means "shoreline trail" in the
Hawaiian LanguageThe Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
.
The trail follows the coastline over ancient fishermen's trails through over 200 ahupuaa, the traditional sea to mountain land divisions.
In ancient times travel would often cover both land, and sea in canoes for portions of the journey.
It passes through both public and private lands, providing access to numerous beaches and resorts.
Much of the trail receives only limited maintenance and sections have been eroded or developed into roads. Only the one section of the trail has signage.
The Northern end of the trail is in
Upolu PointUpolu Point is the most northern point on the island of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is an extruding landform created by cooled lava from an old eruption from Kohala . The main town on the extrusion is Hawi...
in the North Kohala District at the Mookini Heiau, coordinates .
A part of the trail called
Ala Loa (meaning "long trail" in the Hawaiian Language, another name for the same network of trails) was added to the state registry of historic places as site 10-10-11,334 on January 14, 1989, and to the National Registry of Historic Places as number 87001127 in 1987. This runs from from Kiholo Bay to Kalahuipauaa near PuakÅ.
After passing through the west side of island, the trail ends in
Hawaii Volcanoes National ParkHawaii Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. It displays the results of hundreds of thousands of years of volcanism, migration, and evolution—processes that thrust a bare land from the sea...
.
Starting in 2002, a comprehensive management plan and environmental impact statement were prepared and published in 2008.