This is a NOT to be missed spectacular area of Kauai. This canyon was dubbed the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" by Mark Twain, and one look lets you know why. They definitely do look eerily similar. The layers, colors, and waterfalls are simply gorgeous.

 

To get there, the "book" (Ultimate Kauai) tells you to take Waimea Canyon Road (Rt 550) instead of following the signs to a later road. The book is right—the views ARE better from Waimea Canyon Rd—we tried both. Take the other road (Rt 552) on the way back if you're curious.

 

The road is paved and an easy drive. There are several lookouts along the way (once up) to pull over and gawk. Stop at more than one, the view changes—sometimes letting you see spectacular waterfalls pouring into the canyon.

 

A couple of the bigger lookouts that the tour buses use have restrooms. They also often have locals selling various fresh and dried fruit. They aren't cheap, but seldom is food cheap in Hawaii.

 

Look to the south and you see the ocean and Niihau—a privately owned Hawaiian island. Look to the north and you see the Alakai Swamp—the highest swamp in the islands—and the place that we chose to hike in (see separate entry). For those wanting other hikes, many are available.

 

Continuing on the road past the main canyon lookouts, you'll come to the Kokee Museum—a small place, but with some neat displays of the canyon. It's free. Using the same parking lot is the Kokee Lodge—the only place to EAT around here—you HAVE to try their cornbread, it was AWESOME. The Kalua Pork sandwich was tasty too...

 

Continuing your drive you come to the end of the road with a final lookout—not of the canyon, but of the green Kalalau Valley on the Na Pali Coast. This view is OK, but a better one is a hike down the closed road another mile or so. I'm not sure why they closed the road to that lookout, perhaps to encourage more people to hike? Many people do the hike. It's all paved, but there are hills, so decide for yourself if you want exercise.

 

For a brief visit of the Canyon, you can use a tour bus. However, we never saw any of them go all the way back the road and they only stop at the lookouts big enough to handle the buses. As is common, we recommend you rent your own car and explore at your own pace, stopping where YOU want to for as long as YOU want, and having the freedom to hike!

 

This natural formation is so amazing that I can't even accurately describe it. I have been to the Grand Canyon many times and loved it, but this is so much more amazing. The rock formations and colors are fabulous, and the lushness of the surrounding areas make it that much more amazing. The canyon seems to go deeper into the earth than you can imagine -- it is actually 10 miles long, one mile wide, and 3,500 feet deep. To think it is on islands that were formed by volcanoes makes it truly a wonder. There are sulfur springs all around, which smell awful, but are beautiful to see; the surrounding forest area and drive are sights to see as well.

The canyon is part of a state park and maps can be found at the ranger station for both driving and hiking. There is camping available at Koke'e Campground as well as cabins.

Allow a day to drive, hike, and see the many angles, but take snacks and lunch because there are great picnic places, but not many restaurants or watering places around. There is no gas station either, so be sure to get gas when you leave your resort. There aren't lots of stations around the island once you get away from the main areas. A Jeep is a definite plus for this trip -- the wind in your hair makes for a great trip!

The Waimea Canyon, which is also called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is an awe-inspiring gorge on Kauai's West shore. There are two roads leading to Waimea and they intersect higher atop the mountain. They steer you toward Route 552(Koke'e Road), but I took Route 550 (Waimea Canyon Drive), which had hardly any traffic and was an absolutely beautiful ascent up to the canyon.

On Route 550, you will see a lot of the famous Red Dirt, which has small winding streams running through. There were plenty of spots to pull over and look at the beautiful scenery on the way up. One of the views is the island of Ni’ihau, which is clearly visible as you drive up the winding road. As you drive higher you will begin to see a lot of wild chickens -- be careful because some are fearless.

When you reach 3400 feet you will be at the Waimea Canyon Lookout. From here you will be amazed at the breathtaking scenery. There was a restroom at this stop for your information.

After mile marker 13, you will reach the Pu'u Hinahina Lookout, which also has view of the canyon. At this same stop you can see view of Ni'ihau on a clear day at the Ni'ihau Viewpoint.

Continuing on to mile marker 15 is the Koke'e Museum and the Koke'e Lodge. At the Koke'e Museum you will find maps, calendars, souvenirs, and information on facts of the Canyon. The lodge next door has a small restaurant if you are looking for something to snack on.

From here, we kept traveling northward to mile marker 18; if I recall correctly, some or all of this was a dirt or gravel road. Here you will see Kalalau Lookout (4000 feet). To the right, there was a road that was closed off so we parked here to get to Pu'u o Kila Lookout(5148 feet). This is an ascent that you have to hike. It was about a 25- to 35-minute hike, but you will not be disappointed. When you reach the top you will see a sign proclaiming, "The Wettest Spot on Earth, Average Annual Rainfall 451 inches"!! Plus the view is jaw dropping.

I hope I have navigated you to the top of Waimea Canyon with ease. A couple of tips: you should pack some snacks before you leave, bring a couple of bottles of water (especially for the hike), and at the top, it is a bit cooler, you might want to bring a sweatshirt. Enjoy.

I thought people were exaggerating when they compared Waimea Canyon to the Grand Canyon. They're not. It's spectacular!

Be sure to take the Waimea Canyon Drive (Hwy 550) turnoff from Hwy 50. Don't take the Koke'e Road (552). The signs will steer you towards Koke'e Road. The Waimea Canyon Drive is a much prettier drive (and safer too). You'll see fantastic views of the canyon that you won't see from Koke'e Road. Lots of photo ops.

We drove the entire length and ended at Kalalau lookout. The Pu'u o Kila lookout was closed. It was a short and easy one mile hike on a dirt road and we had an incredible view of the Napali mountains and coast. This is the wettest spot on earth.

We stopped for lunch at the Koke'e Lodge. It was very reasonably priced and very good. I had the Meditteranean salad. It was a delicious salad and came with pita chips and hummus (very filling). My husband had a pork sandwich and my daughter had their specialty, a bean soup (can't remember the name). With drinks and a side of cornbread, the total came out to about $22.00 for the three of us.

We took the Koke'e road turnoff on our way back. We had great views of the ocean while heading down the mountain.

We ended our trip with a stop at Jo-Jo's for shaved ice. They have about 50 different (some very exotic) flavorings. It was a good thing the line was so long, because it takes a long time to figure out which flavors you want (you can choose up to 3). A great way to end the day.

You cannot go to Kauai without seeing what Mark Twain is accredited with saying is the Pacific’s Grand Canyon. While not as impressive as the Grand Canyon, it is impressive in its' own right. I cannot remember the roads in Arizona, but these roads were narrow and steep, and I am very very glad that I wasn’t doing the driving. And I don’t remember too many guardrails or places to pull off if other cars crowded you!

One thing different about the canyon area now then 12 years ago when I last saw it: less trees since the hurricane destroyed so much. It also appears that a lot of erosion is taking place. Some of the restraining areas where visitors can peer over the rails have been moved because the soil is moving. Something the same is the volume of chickens! They are everywhere. In fact the local people would like the tourists to bring some home!

Also the same from 12 years ago is how awesome the views are. We had a wonderful day, so we were able to drive quite a bit up the mountain and then we stopped at various points on the way down. Since we had a video cam with a very strong zoom lens, we were able to get different perspectives (and pictures) of the canyons. Some of our pictures, taken near the top, show the gravel trails at the bottom. Some show the detail of the "walls" of the canyon. Since several lookout points had multi-tiered viewing areas, we even have pictures where it appears that you are next to the canyon. What our pictures don’t show is how immense the area is. You have to go there to appreciate how huge the area is.

We were lucky that we took our tour at the beginning of the stay. Later in the week as we drove around the island, we could see the canyon area in the distance and cloud covered! Unless you are staying in the Poipu area, it is quite a drive to see one major sightseeing site. But it is worth it and you have to do it.