Maybe you've never been hiking before in Hawaii, or perhaps you're planning to tackle a trail for which the latest USGS topo map dates from the 1970s. If so, you might be wondering if a GPS device or smartphone could help you out. On faint footpaths over lava fields marked only by ahu (cairns) or into valleys usually only visited by pig hunters, could GPS save you from getting dangerously lost?
To hike the most popular, easily accessible trails on the main Hawaiian Islands, you don't need GPS. (In fact, you might not even need hiking boots - but the 'rubbah slippah' debate is a subject for another post!) Just pay attention to roadside mile markers to find the trailhead, then follow the all-ages crowd ambling into the ferny forest for a waterfall swim.
Trails managed by the state-wide Na Ala Hele: Hawaii Trails System & Access program are often marked with signs not just at the trailhead, but at key junctions along the way. It'd be difficult to get lost, given how well-trod many trails in Hawaii are. In quite a few places, your smartphone or GPS device won't work anyway, making the point moot.
When I was researching my book Top Trails Maui: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone, I carried a handheld GPS device on every hike. I found it useful for pinpointing exactly where remote or badly signposted trailheads are. I also found it helpful for navigating little-traveled trails, for example, the Kaupo and Skyline Trails [PDF] on the backsides of Haleakala volcano. Both of those trails end in places that feel eerily like the middle of nowhere (respectively, Kaupo town off the remote Piilani Hwy and Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area). It also helped to know how far I'd already hiked and what elevation I was at, to keep from being misled by confusing trails-of-use. Being at such a high elevation on these trails also ensured that the GPS reception remained strong and clear enough.
I'd used a GPS device before on the summit trail up Mauna Kea, Hawaii's highest peak, and when trekking across lava flows and cinder deserts inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, both on the Big Island. On Kauai, GPS prevented me from getting lost on a network of trails inside Kokee and Waimea Canyon State Parks. On Oahu, GPS was essential for trekking overgrown trails to summits in the Koolau Mountains above Honolulu (at that time, Na Ala Hele didn't post Oahu trail maintenance updates on Facebook like they helpfully do now).
Overall, on 90% of hiking trails in Hawaii, you don't really need GPS. It'll be just another electronic device weighing down your pockets. But if you're planning on doing any wilderness hiking, GPS might be your next best island hiking buddy.
Find out more about Hawaii's waterfall and volcano trails on my book blog, Top Trails: Hiking on Maui.
Related links:
Maui's Best Walks for Wildlife Watching
Big Island's Volcanoes & Valleys - My CNN Story
Leave Your Car in LA - Take Amtrak Instead
Photo credits: West Maui Mountains, Haleakala National Park & Kihei (Sara Benson & Michael Connolly Jr.)
Some travelers pick Hawaii just for the scenery: sunsets on the beach, fiery volcanoes and rain forest waterfalls. But if you take a closer look at the landscape on foot, you'll be amazed by the biodiverse wildlife living on these Polynesian islands. Hawaii's flora and fauna spectacularly show off the same evolutionary principles that naturalist Charles Darwin found in South America's Galapagos Islands. Today few places on the planet offer such a variety of biomes and wildlife as do the Hawaiian Islands - and there's no better way to see it all than by hiking.
On Maui, Haleakala National Park is has many of the island's top trails for wildlife watching. To spot a rainbow variety of bird life, start with the short loop around Hosmer Grove or sign up for a longer guided hike into Haleakala's wet, wild Waikamoi Cloud Forest, managed by the Nature Conservancy. Day hikes and overnight treks around the park's volcanic summit will bring you almost nose-to-beak with nēnē, the endangered Hawaiian goose.
Back along the central Maui coast, Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge has built a boardwalk that lets you spy on not just rare native and migratory Pacific birds, but also sea turtles basking down below on golden sands. In West Maui, the Kapalua Resort's hiking trails are open to the public. Explore the shady Maunalei Arboretum of native and exotic trees, then trace the windblown, rocky coastline of Kapalua Bay, where humpback whales swim and give birth in the warm offshore waters in winter.
You can find out more about all of these hikes in my book Top Trails Maui: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone, available in paperback from Wilderness Press and also as an Amazon Kindle ebook.
Related links:
Slow Down, Save an Endangered Nene on Maui
Hidden Hiking Trails in West Maui
Risks and Rewards in the Big Island's Volcanoes and Valleys
Photo credits: Kihei & West Maui Mountains (Sara J. Benson & Michael Connolly Jr.)
It was more than 10 years ago that I first hopped an Amtrak train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. When we rolled into LA's Union Station over four hours late in a rainstorm, it made me think twice about taking the train again. Since then, I've driven the SF-LA route dozens of times, often swearing in frustration at big traffic jams on the I-5 Fwy.
This week I boarded the Coast Starlight train again and gave Amtrak another shot. Not only was the train impeccably on time, it was even more comfortable than driving my own Subaru. My upper-deck train seat was at least twice as wide as on a plane, and when the coach car attendant walked around handing out free sleeping pillows, I was gobsmacked.
During lunch in the dining car, as I was looking out panoramic observation windows onto the Pacific coast, I whiled away a relaxing hour chatting with other travelers. Mostly we talked about why we chose to take the train instead of driving or flying: the slower pace of rail travel, the unbeatable views, and bonding with family and friends en route, not to mention shrinking our carbon footprints.
When the Coast Starlight chugged into the tiny train station that was my final destination, I was reluctant to step off onto the platform. When was the last time I felt that way about an airplane ride? Never.
Come over and join me on Instagram to see more pictures of this week's California trip by train!
Related links:
Coastal California: The Anti-Hotel Top 10 List
All Aboard Amtrak's National Train Day
Fall Travel: Sunshine on California's Coast
Photo credit: Sara J. Benson (postcard via Gogobot)
Packed with contemporary travel essays, State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America, edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey, is the most memorable book I've read this year. With rambling narratives reminiscent of William Least Heat Moon's Blue Highways, this giant anthology tackles all 50 states (you can skip the Washington DC interview).
Weaving together travel, politics and history, it's a tribute to the WPA travel guidebooks published in the 1930s, to which soon-to-be-famous writers such as Zola Neale Hurston, Studs Terkel and Kenneth Rexroth contributed. Published in 2008, State by State is an equally eclectic travel book. Follow along with its writers as they fly in bush planes through the Alaska wilderness, run out of gas in rural Illinois and hang around pawn shops in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Not every essay is a winner, particularly those that superficially skim over the state (Saïd Sayrafiezadeh's "South Dakota) or dismiss it with smartypants snark (Sarah Vowell's "Montana"). But most take an unstinting look at that state's real-deal character, with its beauty spots, flaws and all. Immigrant stories are among the most insightful chapters in the book.
If you haven't gotten around to joining the 50 States Club yet, plowing through State by State - it's over 600 pages long - might just spur you to hit the road.
Related links:
State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
The WPA Guide to California in the 1930s
Itty-Bitty Book Review: Shadow of a Bear
Right now from December through April is nesting season for nēnē, the endangered Hawaiian goose. At Haleakala National Park on Maui, these birds are often seen hanging out along roadsides and in parking lots, where careless drivers may hit or run over them. The remarkably curious birds have little fear of humans and aren't able to fly away quickly. That's part of what makes these distant cousins of Canada geese such captivating mascots for Hawaii's volcanic wildernesses, and why you can easily meet them at national parks on Maui and the Big Island.
In 2012 there have been a greater than average number of nēnē who have died after being hit by motor vehicles. Earlier this month, a motorist rushing to catch the sunrise from Haleakala's volcanic summit fatally struck a breeding pair of nēnē. With a statewide population of fewer than 2000 birds, up from an all-time low of only a few dozen birds left in the early 1950s, every bird's life counts, not just for species reproduction but also genetic diversity.
So how can you help? It's easy:
1. When you're visiting Hawaii, slow down and obey the posted speed limits in the park and other areas where nēnē live on Maui, the Big Island, Kauai, Lanai and Molokai. Drive even more carefully during rainy or foggy weather, when visibility is limited. Check around your parked car before backing up, to avoid hitting any birds that may be hiding underneath.
2. No matter how much the birds honk, waddle around and beg, do not give them any food or drink, even filtered water. Habituating wild nēnē to human handouts impairs their chances of survival.
3. Approaching the birds, even if they seem friendly and interested, can disturb their natural behavior. Always stand well back from nēnē. Park rangers advise that if a bird moves when you move, then you're too close!
If you want to help more, make a tax-deductible donation to the Adopt-a-Nene Program, run by the nonprofit Friends of Haleakala National Park.
Related links:
Haleakala National Park: Nēnē Fact Sheet [PDF]
Hawaii's National Parks Go Social: News for Hikers
Haleakala's Summit Wilderness: High Winds & Other Fascinatingly Dangerous Weather
Photo credits: Haleakala National Park (Michael Connolly Jr.)
Are you in the sprawling metro Los Angeles area? If so, head over to Culver City after work on Thursday night, December 6, for the next Gogobot Travel Salon LA. The theme is 'Travel on Any Budget,' so we'll talking about everything from how to save big bucks on tropical resorts and maximize frequent flier miles to penny pinching at hostels and food trucks.
This social travel event is happening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at NextSpace Los Angeles (9415 Culver Blvd., Culver City). The cover charge ($5) gets you food, drinks and time to ask Gogobot's panel of experts any travel question you want, then swap deal-finding tips with your fellow travel junkies. Buy tickets in advance online via Eventbrite. See you all there!
Related links:
Gogobot: Travel in the Know!
Gogobot Travel Salon LA: Travel on Any Budget
My Custom Travel Guides (Free!) on Gogobot
Only four times each year, boutique wineries hidden high in the Santa Cruz Mountains open their doors to curious tasters. Some of the biggest vintners - for example, Thomas Fogarty, which has foggy hilltop vineyards and pours award-winning vintages - are open year-round. But if you're seeking smaller connoisseur labels, a quarterly Passport Day event might be your only chance to taste these award-winning pinot noir and chardonnay varietals.
The next Passport Day for Santa Cruz Mountains wineries is happening Saturday, November 17. Most tasting rooms will be open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., but call ahead to check on any you're particularly eager to visit (damn, Kathryn Kennedy isn't open to the public). For $45, you'll get a printed passport that waives your tasting fee at any participating winery. That passport is valid for tastings at any time, even months after the Passport Day, because seriously, how many can you visit in six hours?
If you miss tomorrow's event, you'll have to wait until 2013 for another chance: Passport Day typically takes place on the third Saturday of January, April, July and November. If you'd rather not drive up into the mountains, chic Vinocruz wine shop in downtown Santa Cruz pours five different Santa Cruz Mountains wines every week at its mod stainless-steel tasting bar. In recent years, a handful of wineries have also opened tasting rooms in central Santa Cruz, including such major players as Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and Bonny Doon Vineyard. They're clustered in industrial warehouses off Ingalls St., west of downtown and the UCSC campus via Hwy 1.
Related links:
Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers
Fall Travel: Sunshine on California's Coast
Coastal California: The Anti-Hotel Top 10 List
Photo credit: Sara J. Benson
In honor of Veterans Day, US national parks are waiving entry fees this weekend and during the holiday on Monday. That's right: you can visit any national park for free. So, whether you're dreaming of heading to California's Yosemite Valley or Hawaii's Haleakala volcano, you won't pay a cent. (Of course, some parks are free year-round, like Nevada's epic Great Basin out in the desert, but that's another story.)
And since the national parks are letting you in for free, why not give back by helping them out with a volunteer project? Even if you miss the public programs this weekend, you can still find an opportunity to help out near you, wherever you live, just by searching the volunteer database anytime.
What's your all-time favorite national park in the US or abroad? Tell us where we should travel next by leaving a comment below. Thanks!
Related posts:
Winter's Last Lucky Call in Yosemite Valley
Wild Weather High on Hawaii's Haleakala Volcano
Insta-guide to Rocky Mountain National Park
Photo: Rocky Mountain National Park (Sara J. Benson)
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