Raging stream strands 50 hikers overnight at waterfall, Hawaii rescuers say

Don Sweeney, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) on Apr 6, 2025

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A rain-swollen stream left about 50 hikers stranded overnight at a Kauai waterfall, Hawaii rescuers reported.

The hikers called for help from the Kalalau Trail at about 11:55 a.m. Thursday, April 3, the Kaua‘i Fire Department said in a news release.

“When they got up to the waterfall, they turned around and this one guy tells me he stepped back into the water to make the crossing and he looked upstream and saw a wall of water coming down,” resident Megan Wong told Hawaii News Now.

When firefighters arrived at about 2:25 p.m., they discovered rain had made the Hanakāpī‘ai Stream across the trail too dangerous to cross, officials said.

The National Weather Service had issued a flood advisory for that part of Kauai earlier that day, firefighters said.

Rescuers advised the hikers to shelter in place overnight until the stream was safe to cross, firefighters said.

“They huddled together, most of them. They were damp but in good spirits. The ones who came from the waterfall. The guy told me he stayed up all night and just did squats because he was getting so cold,” Wong told Hawaii News Now.

The stranded visitors were able to safely hike out on Friday, April 4, firefighters said. No injuries were reported. Officials closed the trail.

“We strongly advise all hikers to avoid entering trail systems when inclement weather is in the forecast. Flooding in stream areas can occur rapidly and without warning, putting lives at risk,” said Kauai Fire Department Chief Michael Gibson in the release.

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