Kauai Fire Department rescues two injured hikers on Memorial Day

Two hikers were carried off Kauai trails on Memorial Day after separate falls in Wailua and Kōkee, underscoring how quickly a familiar path can become an emergency when footing, weather and preparation do not line up.

The first rescue began shortly before 9:10 a.m. near the first river crossing on the trail to Uluwehi Falls in Wailua. Crews from the Kapaa Fire Station, Rescue 3 and American Medical Response found a 69-year-old woman visiting from Arizona who had fallen and injured her leg. Firefighters stabilized the injury, then used a litter and wheel to move her off the trail before handing her to AMR personnel staged at Kamokila Village for transport to Wilcox Medical Center. The scene was cleared shortly after 10:20 a.m.

Less than half an hour later, another call came in from the Waimea Canyon Trail in Kōkee, about 1.5 miles in. Personnel from the Waimea and Hanapepe fire stations, Rescue 3 and AMR located a 40-year-old woman visiting from Oklahoma who had slipped and fallen, leaving her with an apparent lower leg injury. Crews splinted the injury, secured her in a litter and extricated her to Halemanu Road, where AMR took over for transport to a local hospital. That response stayed active until shortly before 4:55 p.m.

The twin rescues show the scale of resources that even a single trail emergency can draw on. Fire and ambulance crews from several communities were tied up for hours, first in Wailua and then in Kōkee, while visitors from Arizona and Oklahoma needed transport off remote trail sections. For an island with limited emergency coverage and rugged backcountry access, those calls ripple beyond the trail itself.

Kauai Fire Chief Michael Gibson urged hikers to wear proper footwear, carry enough water, tell someone their plans and be honest about their ability level before heading out. The department also reminded the public to check weather and trail conditions, stay on marked trails and turn back if conditions become unsafe. The warning carried added weight after a California visitor died on May 19 on the Kalalau Trail near Crawler’s Ledge, and after Gibson said remote areas like Kalalau present unique challenges and weather can shift rapidly. In March, KFD also rescued 19 Nevada visitors from the Uluwehi Trail, 14 of them minors, another sign that these routes keep producing preventable emergencies when conditions change or hikers underestimate the terrain.