Pu’u O Kila Lookout & Pihea Trail, Kauai, Hawaii

At the very end of Highway 550 in Kokee State Park awaits one of the most jaw dropping lookouts on Kauai; a panoramic view into Kalalau Valley and scenic views overlooking the Alakai Swamp (the highest swamp in the world). The views here are even better than those found at the official Kalalau lookout a mile back on the road. The swamp that stretches out behind us is the wettest place on earth. The name of the place is PU’U O KILA.

This place wasn’t originally in my plans at all, for when searching for this place on Google, I couldn’t even find a common Chinese name for it. So the unpopularity of this place has been proved.

I stumbled upon the PU’U O KILA Lookout because the nearby Kalalau Lookout was submerged in fog, Ken suggested that we should go to the next Lookout. Unexpectedly, even after we’d already been to the Kalalau Lookout the next day, we still thought the PU’U O KILA Lookout had a better view!

The view in the photo was not strictly taken from the PU’U O KILA lookout, but from the starting point of the Pihea Trail next to the lookout. The trail is not a rocky or sandy path, but a muddy one. The trail entrance provides tools to wash your shoes. Considering how dirty your shoes can get by walking this muddy trail, I suggest you wear a pair of casual shoes that you won‘t mind a lot if it gets muddy.

At the Pihea Trail you can appreciate vistas of the Alakai Swamp, often shrouded in mist and stretching its way toward Mount Wai’ale’ale, the wettest spot on earth. We’ve never seen a swamp with so much moisture on such a high elevation.The mist burst from the valley in a steady stream, as if it were a natural steam engine or a volcanic eruption without magma. The marshes beneath our feet were made up of bright red earth, which complemented the fairy dust in the distance, creating a scene that is rarely seen. This really is Kauai’s hidden treasure! It’s not one of the most well-known spots on Kauai, but well worth the trip!

在550号高速公路尽头的Kokee州立公园，有着可爱岛上最令人震撼的观景台之一。这里可以欣赏到卡拉劳山谷的全景，并可以俯瞰世界上最高的沼泽，阿拉凯沼泽的风景。这里的景色甚至比在距离公路一英里的“官方”卡拉劳观景台上看到的景色还要好。延伸到我们身后的沼泽是地球上最湿的地方。这个观景台的名字就是-PU’U O KILA观景台

这个地方原本完全不在我的计划中，因为我做攻略时曾在谷歌上搜索这个地名，甚至都找不到一个通用的中文译名。可见这个地方并不是很有人气。

偶然发现PU’U O KILA观景台是因为我们去旁边的卡拉劳观景台的时候，不巧美景都被淹没在大雾中，Ken提议说要不然我们去下一个观景台看看。出乎意料的是，即使在第二天我们已经去了卡拉劳观景台以后，我们仍然认为PU’U O KILA观景台的景色更胜一筹！

照片中的景色严格来说并不是在PU’U O KILA瞭望台拍摄的，而是在瞭望台旁边的Pihea步道入口。这条步道不是石头路，也不是沙子路，而是泥巴路。步道入口提供洗鞋子的工具。考虑到走这条泥巴路会让鞋子变得非常脏，我建议你穿一双弄脏了也不心疼的便鞋去。

在Pihea步道上可以欣赏到被雾气笼罩的阿拉凯沼泽的美景，这片沼泽一直延伸到地球上最潮湿的地方–威阿勒阿勒山。我们从来没有见过湿气这么重，海拔这么高的沼泽。雾气从山谷中源源不断的迸发出来，好像一个天然的蒸汽机，又好像没有岩浆的火山喷发。脚下的沼泽地由鲜红的泥土构成，与远处的仙气相得益彰，形成一种很少见的景致。这里真的是可爱岛的隐藏宝藏! 虽然这里不是可爱岛最知名的景点之一，但非常值得一游!