Kauai, Hawai'i (Day Seven): Waimea Canyon State Park
If you missed Day Six of our belated-honeymoon to Hawai’i, read about it here.
Waimea Canyon State Park
This canyon is one of the most striking views on Kauai. It’s known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and it was formed after the central volcano there collapsed 10 million years ago. The Waimea river then carved its way through the lava and basalt formations, leaving a deep, colorful gorge.
You can see the canyon easily from multiple lookout points. Two of our favorites were the Waimea Canyon Lookout and the Puʻu Hinahina Lookout.
After a few lookouts, we were going to attempt the Alaka’i Swamp Trail, which was recommended to us by our raft tour guide the previous day. However, after getting most of the way down the dirt road to the trailhead, we ran into a steep section with possible deep mud. We were in a tiny little 2wd rental car and didn’t want to risk it, so we opted for the short 2-mile Berry Flat Trail. Little did we know what a HUGE mistake this was. Despite being designated as easy, this trail was not clearly marked and intersected with hunting trails and trails the wild pigs made through the forest. Since we weren’t anticipating trail finding to be involved, we got lost and added a good hour or hour and a half to this hike by following the water tank trail and hunting trails. And at some point once we knew we were lost, we ran into this weird wood teepee structure just in the middle of nowhere. Terrifying. It was my least favorite hike of all time.
After this, we hiked the Canyon Trail, a three-mile trail that has steep elevation gain, provides stunning overlooks into the valley, and ends at the top of Waipo’o Falls, an 800-foot waterfall. The trail was rated as moderate, but with the steep cliffs, narrow trails down the steep cliffs, and loose dirt/rock, I would rate it on the strenuous side of moderate. We especially found it difficult to hike when there were families in front of us who would take up the entire trail, moving at a snail’s pace through difficult sections.
The views on this trail were stunning, and we made it to the small waterfall just before Waipo’o Falls. Unfortunately, there was some misleading information about whether you could actually see Waipo’o Falls, so we stopped at the small waterfall. But I’m not too cut up about it because I tend not to be super impressed by the top view of waterfalls, and we were dying in the high heat/humidity after two hikes that were unexpectedly longer/more strenuous than we were anticipating.
For dinner that night, we ate at Lava Lava Beach Club, which is a first-come, first-served restaurant right on the beach. The atmosphere was A+, especially with the wild chickens walking around all the tables. And I still remember the lentils I stole off Ryan’s plate - they were that good!
Up Next: McBryde & Allerton Gardens, National Tropical Botanical Garden