Starting this month, the Kalaupapa National Historical Park will guide visits to the remote peninsula — but there’s a catch.
The hike down — and up — the strenuous pali trail from topside Molokaʻi is a 1700-foot elevation change over three miles each way.
“It's a big, physically demanding day,” said Park Superintendent Nancy Holman. “You need to be very comfortable walking eight difficult miles. There is not an option for flying out. You need to be able to hike yourself back out at the end of the day with us.”
Holman urged people to physically prepare for the hike and book later if they’re concerned about their fitness level.
“We're only opening reservations 30 days in advance, so there's time,” she said. “It's not like all the tickets have sold out between now and infinity. If you don't feel like you're physically capable now, but you think you can work up to that, I'd recommend people take that route.”
Last month, the Kalaupapa Saints Tour, owned by patient resident Meli Watanuki, closed following her death.
Holman said the hiking tour had been in the works for a couple of years. It was intended as another option to the commercial tour that had airplane access. However, the timing did not work out with the unplanned closure of the former operation.
“Not everybody can afford to fly; the flight logistics are difficult, so giving people another access point to the park was really important for us in our planning,” she said.
Holman explained that the hiking tour is geared towards Molokaʻi residents based on its logistics and a desire to provide greater access to the settlement for residents, as outlined in the Kalaupapa General Management Plan.
If tour participants are coming from off-island, Holman has some recommendations.
“Travel to Molokai is so difficult, there is still only one servicing airline,” she said. “For this walking tour, we heavily recommend that people are on island the night before for this tour, because we do start at the trailhead at 7:30 in the morning, so it's pretty risky to fly in that morning to Molokai, get a rental car, and make it to the trailhead in time.”
The tour currently allows for 10 people per day. Sensitivity to and privacy of patient residents still living in Kalaupapa are paramount.
“It's a cemetery, it's a living community, and it's a national park,” Holman told HPR. “This is really a place where you bring reverence to the experience when you visit here.”
Holman said tours of Kalaupapa have been offered by patient residents since the 1950s. But this version marks a change. “This is the first time the National Park Service is operating a tour at Kalaupapa. Everything prior to this was not done by us.”
While there was no community consultation process on the tour itself, Holman said it follows the vision of the Kalaupapa General Management Plan, signed in 2021, which had extensive community input. She also consulted closely with patient residents to ensure they felt comfortable and aware of the plans.
Patient residents also have the first right of refusal to run tours.
“There are four remaining patients on the Kalaupapa registry that (have) first right of refusal — any of them could exercise that right, and they're no longer anybody interested in operating tours,” she said.
Holman said flights may be available in the future, but currently it’s not logistically possible.
She added that the park is open to community feedback along the way.
“Doing a small release, 10 people twice a week, we'll be able to create a mechanism in which we can adapt that pretty quickly, and helps us work towards these larger, longer-term goals in the future, and sometimes you just don't know till you try something.”
The all-day experience costs $20. Tours are open for booking and will be offered twice a week beginning on July 9 through recreation.gov. Participants must be at least 16 years old.
“Hopefully, people will leave with a greater understanding and a greater hunger to learn more,” said Holman.
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