Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is on the Big Island in Hawaii of the United States of America.
Established in 2000 for the preservation, protection and interpretation of traditional Native Hawaiian culture and natural resources, the Ala Kahakai NHT is a 175-mile trail corridor full of cultural and historical significance. It traverses through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites and through over 200 ahupua'a, or traditional sea to mountain land divisions. The trail is still in the process of being created.
The Ala Kahakai was designated as a National Historic Trail by the U.S. Congress late in November 2000, and in the summer of 2001 the trail office was officially opened.
Cultural resources along the trail include several important heiau (temples), royal centers, kahua (house site foundations), loko 'ia (fishponds) ko`a (fishing shrines), ki‘i pohaku (petroglyphs), holua (stone slide), and wahi pana (sacred places).
Natural Resources include anchialine ponds, pali (precipices), nearshore reefs, estuarine ecosystems, coastal vegetation, migratory birds, native sea turtle habitat, and several threatened and endangered endemic species of plants and animals.
The temperatures in Hawai'i are typically in the mid to upper 80's. Rainfall and weather conditions may vary at various locations where the trail is found around the island.
The trail is not currently open as National Historic Trail, although some sections are accessible by the public under State and County jurisdiction. Visitors are directed to the State Trails (Na Ala Hele) website www.hawaiitrails.com pertaining to the Ala Kahakai trail. One available section is located in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.
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