Hiking the East Sleeping Giant Trail (Nounou Mountain) on Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi
In loving memory of Fiona Choi, the girl in the cover photo above.
Distance: 3.8 miles / 6.1 km
Elevation Gain: ~1,000 ft. / 305 m
The East Sleeping Giant Trail on Kauaʻi, also called Nounou Mountain, is a local and visitors alike, especially when hiked for sunrise!
This is because the panoramic views from ridgeline leading up to the the summit of Nounou make it one of the best places to watch the sunrise on Kauaʻi, which is why it’s my personal favorite time to go, as the Sleeping Giant Trail gets much busier and hotter by midday.
In any case, the hike up the Sleeping Giant Trail to Nounou Mountain is almost entirely uphill, with a number of exposed areas that must be climbed to reach the summit. Given these considerations, I highly recommend reading my breakdown of the two different trails below in order to decide which is better for your group.
East vs. West Sleeping Giant Trail (Nounou)
East Sleeping Giant Trail
Simply put, the East Sleeping Giant Trail is the harder of the two trails up Nounou.
This is because it’s longer, there’s more elevation gain, and there’s one additional area that requires some scrambling/climbing that the West Sleeping Giant Trail doesn’t have.
West Sleeping Giant Trail
The one thing that sets the west trail apart from the east is that the West Sleeping Giant Trail will almost always be muddier after it has recently rained.
Nevertheless, the West Nounou Trail is my personal favorite between the two because the Cook Pine forest in the lower elevations of the hike makes the trail prettier overall.
Read My Separate Post: West Sleeping Giant Trail
East Sleeping Giant Trailhead Parking
Parking for the East Sleeping Giant Trail is located in a small parking lot off Haleilio Road, adjacent to the trailhead.
That being said, the parking lot can get very full by mid-morning, as you can see from the photos below.
Google Maps Directions: East Sleeping Giant Trailhead
My Hawaiʻi Hiking Checklist
Osprey 3L Water Bladder - The Osprey 3L water bladder is the most universal hiking and backpacking water bladder on the market, and it’s my go-to because of the slide-off seal that allows it to be quickly filled from the top. Additionally, individual parts are easily replaceable, such as the bite valve.
Blister / Heel Protectors - I swear by these cheap, amazing heel protectors to prevent blisters for nearly every kind of hiking and backpacking that I do!
Black Diamond Headlamp - Personally, I recommend the Black Diamond Storm because it is one of the brightest, lightest, and longest-lasting headlamps on the market—and trust me, the weight-to-battery-life ratio really does matter!
Hiking / Trail Running Shoes - Depending on the type of trail, I prefer to use either the Keen Targhee for longer, more rugged hiking or the HOKA Zinal Trail-Running Shoe for lighter, less intense trails. In either case, both have been amazing to me for many years across countless environments, and both can be found in men’s and women’s sizes. - (Men’s Keen / Women’s Keen) (Men’s HOKA / Women’s HOKA)
Waterproof Rain Shell - You never know when it may rain, and I’ve learned over the years that a rain shell is far better than a rain jacket. By this, I mean that it’s best to have something that the water will roll right off of, which is why I recommend the Patagonia Torrentshell 3L available in both men’s and women’s sizes.
High SPF Sunscreen - Packing high-SPF sunscreen is a must for long days outside!
Hiking the East Sleeping Giant Trail
From the trailhead, the East Sleeping Giant Trail begins climbing almost immediately up a series of about 23 switchbacks, depending on how you count, to get to the Nounou ridgeline that leads up to the summit.
In my opinion, don’t let the number of switchbacks make you think that the East Sleeping Giant Trail is significantly more difficult than the West Nounou Mountain Trail, as some are very short, while others are more what you’d expect a switchback to be.
These are the first summit views of Nounou.
Go right when you come to this section in the photo below.
This scrambling section in the next few photos is the most difficult part of the East Sleeping Giant Trail side, but there’s more than enough hand and footholds to safely climb up if you take your time.
Once above the short scramble, the East Sleeping Giant Trail becomes much more straightforward for the rest of the hike.
East-West Sleeping Giant Junction
Eventually, the East Sleeping Giant Trail meets with the trail coming up from the west side.
Here, go left at this split to continue up to the summit of Nounou Mountain.
Read My Separate Post: West Sleeping Giant Trail
Nounou Shelter
Next, the Nounou Shelter will be shortly after the East-West junction, and it’s a good indicator that you’re hiking in the right direction.
From the shelter, the Sleeping Giant Trail continues straight across the open clearing.
Then, just before the Nounou Summit Ridge, there is another section to climb in order to continue higher.
That being said, there are plenty of good points of contact to do it safely, as long as you take your time.
Nounou Summit Ridge
Once above the scramble in the photos above, the remaining hike to the top is much easier than everything it took to get to this point.
On a different note, sunrise on Sleeping Giant is actually better on the summit ridge leading up to the summit than on the summit itself, which has a better view to the west than the east.
Puʻu Nounou (Nounou Mountain)
The summit of Sleeping Giant, more commonly known as Nounou Mountain, is about 1,241 ft. (378 m) and stands high above Līhuʻe, Kapaʻa, and Wailua as a free-standing peak.
This is why it is such a local favorite for sunrise, as views from nearly all sides of the upper mountain are unobstructed on a clear day!
Native Plants on the Sleeping Giant Trail
Since Nounou is such a low-elevation peak, both Sleeping Giant Trails are dominated by non-native/ invasive species.
That being said, there isn’t much in terms of native plants on either Nounou Mountain Trail, with the exception of a few ʻUhaloa and ʻAʻaliʻi.
If you would like to learn more about these and many other native Hawaiian plants from across the islands, I encourage you to check out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
More Kauaʻi Adventures
If you’re interested in reading about some more amazing Kauaʻi adventures, check out my separate posts below!
Best Hotels & Vacation Rentals on Kauaʻi
Since the best things to do on Kauaʻi are located on all different sides of the island, I recommend starting your search on VRBO.
You may want to stay some nights in Poʻipū, some nights in Kapaʻa, and even some nights on the beautiful North Shore, but this way you can plan out places to stay and adventures on all different sides of the island!
Kauaʻi
Best Way to Book Rental Cars!
I travel quite a bit, and I know firsthand that finding a good rental car deal can be a challenge, but that’s why I recommend comparing all of your options with Discover Cars.
In short, Discover Cars is a well-known, reputable business that allows you to search for the best deal across companies, and they have the best full-refund cancellation policy I’ve ever seen, valid up to 72, or sometimes even 48, hours prior to your reservation!
Book Here: Discover Cars
Kauaʻi
Visiting Other Islands
If you are visiting Kauaʻi or heading to another island, check out some of my personal recommendations for Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, Molokai, Lānaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island (Big Island) in these separate posts.
If you’re trying to decide which island is right for your visit, check out my overview about each island in the post below.
Read My Separate Post: What is the Best Hawaiian Island to Visit?
What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Hawaiʻi?
The weather in Hawaiʻi can often appear to be warm and beautiful throughout the year, but in my experience, there is a lot more to consider when planning what time of year to visit the islands, such as what island you are considering, what sides of each island do you plan to stay, what activities are you most interested in, the wildlife, and countless other nuanced variables that can all impact the type of trip you can expect to have.
For these reasons, I highly recommend reading through my separate article to not only understand my thoughts regarding the best time of year to come to Hawaiʻi but also what you need to consider based on the time of year that you plan to visit.
Read My Separate Post: What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Hawaiʻi?
Safety
All hikes in Hawaiʻi should not be compared to trails outside of the islands, and hikers should exercise due caution on every adventure, given that many are extremely dangerous.
By this, I mean that Hawaiʻi is known for hot, humid weather, steep, dramatic, and unstable cliffs, and flash floods, which can occur without warning. Therefore, it is important that you check the local forecast, understand the physical condition of your entire group, and pack sufficient food and water before attempting any adventure.
Disclaimer
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