Sleeping Giant Mountain is one of the best hikes you’ll find in Kauai. Even though it’s one of the smallest islands in Hawaii, it’s packed with some breathtaking natural beauty that far outweighs its size.

Kauai boasts two rightfully popular state parks: Waimea Canyon and Koke’e. These parks are a must-see if you like hiking and enjoying the great outdoors.

However, on the opposite side of the island near Wailua, lies a small area called the Nounou Forest Reserve. In the reserve, you’ll find an awesome hiking trail leading you to the top of what’s known as Sleeping Giant Mountain.

History of Sleeping Giant Mountain

This mountain’s name comes from it’s shape resembling a human laying down and sleeping.

According to a Native Hawaiian legend, a giant was tricked into eating a large amount of rocks disguised as fish and poi. The meal made him so sleepy that he laid down for a nap and never woke up.

In the above photo you can see what appears to be the giants open mouth on the left side of the mountain then his nose, his eye, and forehead on the far right.

As long as you don’t wake up the sleeping giant, this hike is absolutely gorgeous. You start out hiking through a beautiful forested area and end with an almost 360° view at the summit.

This is truly a one of a kind hike and it completely stole my heart. So, I wanted to dedicate an entire post to this trail giving you the complete guide to summiting the Sleeping Giant Mountain in Kauai.

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Does the Sleeping Giant Mountain Trail Cost?

No. You can park and hike both trails for free.

West Trailhead vs. East Trailhead

You can begin this hike in two different spots. There is a trailhead on each side of the mountain. 

Both trails will eventually lead you to the same place but depending on which you choose you will have a different hiking experience.

If you start at the west trailhead, your hike will come out to be a 1.5 mile round trip with around a 660 foot elevation gain. You will take the Nounou West Trail.

If you want to start at the eastern trailhead you will take the Nounou East Trail. This hike will be a 3.5 mile round trip with a 950 foot elevation gain. 

So it really depends on how much time you have and how long you feel like hiking for.

These two trails are very similar and will both provide you with stunning views before converging at the last 0.3 miles to the summit. 

How Hard is This Hike?

I would rate the Sleeping Giant Trail as a moderate level hike.

Either trailhead you choose to start at will have steep inclines and rock scrambling towards the end. Both trails also have several hundred feet of elevation gain.

If you’re a frequent hiker you should have no real issues with this trail. I was hiking solo and safely conquered all the rock scrambling.

Parking for Sleeping Giant Mountain Trails

Both trailheads are in residential neighborhoods where you will have to park on the street.

Parking for the west trail is just at the end of Lokelani Rd. There are no designated spots, you just have to find a place on the street that isn’t blocking someone’s house. 

The east trailhead has a small parking lot off of Haleilio Rd. There is much more room to park at the east trailhead than at the west trailhead.

You can easily get directions from AllTrails and they will take you right to the trailheads.

Nounou West Trail

Once you park at the end of the street, the trail will start to your left and go into a forest. 

You will be surrounded by hundreds of massive pine trees. There will be some exposed tree roots to maneuver around, but other than that this section is fairly easy with a mild incline on a nice packed down dirt path.

Once you come out of the forest, you will reach an overlook where you’ll continue to ascend elevation. The trail will gradually get rockier, but not full on rock scrambling yet. 

Then, you’ll find an intersection in the trail. This is where the west trail and the east trail connect and lead you up to the summit.

Nounou East Trail

Once you park, the trail will begin on the right side of the parking lot. You will also be starting out hiking through a pine forest.

This trail has some switchbacks that come at you quick as you start to gain a few hundred feet of elevation. 

The rest of this trail is very similar to the Nounou West Trail, and there are a few nice viewpoints. But there really aren’t any other notable differences between the two.

Although I will say, the east trail does seem to be the more popular one.

This trail also gets rockier as you make your way to the intersection where you will begin the final ascent to the summit. 

Summiting Sleeping Giant Mountain

Like I mentioned earlier, there is some moderate rock scrambling required to get to the summit. This isn’t too sketchy, I did this on my own and had no problem. But, it was a challenge.

From the top of Nounou Mountain, you’ll get stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. All the best hikes in Hawaii come with ocean views, right? 

You can see hundreds of miles of Kauai. You get a great view of the towns Kapa’a and Wailua. The rock scrambling is sure worth these views. 

This would be an awesome place to watch the sunrise/sunset but I would be cautious coming down the rocks in the dark. Come prepared with flashlights or headlamps if you aren’t going to hike in full daylight. 

My Final Thoughts

Overall, this hike is beautiful and one of my favorites in Kauai. If you have time in between visiting Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Park, I totally recommend the Sleeping Giant Mountain Trail.

I think this trail is pretty doable for most people and isn’t super popular like the parks have gotten. And the views here are just insane!

If you take the west trail and hike frequently, you can get this one done pretty quickly so it’s perfect if you don’t have a ton of time on the island.

I hope you got some helpful info from post, thank you for reading! Mahalo!