If I could only visit 1 spot during my time in Kauai, I would without any hesitation choose Waimea…read moreCanyon State Park. Affectionately nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", it is easy to see how this canyon gained its affectionate moniker. Stretching 14 miles long, 1 mile wide and more than 3,600 feet deep, the Waimea Canyon provides breathtaking panoramic views of crested buttes, rugged crags and deep valley gorges. Even at the first rest stop you come across, you are already high enough that the view would have made the trip worthwhile. There are 5 rest stops on your way up to the top, each offering restrooms, trash cans, and their own respective viewing points; each stunning in its own rights. You can choose to simply stop at each stop on your way up like we did, or drive all the way to the top and work your way back down. Keep in mind it takes almost an hour to drive up to the very top without stopping. And the fog starts rolling in later on in the day obscuring visibility into the canyon. So you'll want to make sure you start your day off early if you're opting for the later strategy. For us, we started on the bottom and worked our way back up. We never made it all the way to the top as the fog had already rolled in by the time we hit the higher levels which made viewing anything on those levels impossible. There is now some construction being done for safety improvements and roadwork patching. Much of which is past due and much needed. As we started to encounter quite a few gigantic potholes on the higher elevations that often required either maneuvering around into oncoming traffic or traversing very slowly over the shallower parts of the potholes. We were quite thankful we were in a SUV because we were fairly certain we would not have made it past some of the potholes if we were in a lower profile vehicle such as a sedan or convertible. While driving the canyon is free (outside of parking), you can also splurge and view the canyon unobstructed from an ariel vantage through either a chartered plane or helicopter ride.

Fantastic views - sometimes can be cloudy at the top $10 a vehicle and $5 a person but stunning…read moreviews ! Spectacular ! The road going up is quite windy - give your self some time to get there it takes a bit but breathtaking

Definitely my kinda beach! Secluded, white sand beach with big crazy waves. Watch for the rogue…read morewave!

Beaches aren't my number one choice of activity, but as far as beaches go, I loved this one…read more It's a huge, expansive beach. There were very few people here which was really nice. It's very long which makes it a great beach to walk. They have pavilions with picnic tables providing shade to escape the sun for a bit. The best part of this beach is how big the waves are. I sat and watched them the entire time we were here. The downside of Kauai is that it's not very warm. This means I didn't want to swim at the beaches. It was about 70 when we were here. It was warm enough to enjoy the beach, but a little too chilly to get in the water with the wind. This was my favorite beach that we visited in Kauai.

My husband and I just did this tour today (10/25/25) with three other individuals and the pilot…read more The cost was $630 per person, which we learned helps fund medivac services for the residents of Ni'ihau. We were allowed to bring bags, snorkel gear, and a cooler. After checking in, weighing in, and a brief safety talk at the Kaumakani office, we drove to the Port Allen airstrip by Salt Pond and got on the helicopter - a seven seater + the pilot. There were five passengers, so everyone got an assigned window seat. We then flew for about 35-40 minutes to and over Ni'ihau where we saw breathtaking cliffs, miles of empty beaches, wild horses, cattle, pheasants, pigs and goats as well as a brief glimpse of the village of Pu'uwai. (Note: the tour did not include any flight time over Kaua'i, although we skirted along the west end shoreline on the way back). We landed at a remote beach facing Lehua where there is a pavilion and a shed for changing. Time on the island was about 3.5 hours, which went by extremely quickly. There were tons of seashells and coral fragments that we were invited to take home, and the water was warm and crystal clear. Surprisingly, the beach was very littered, especially with commercial fishing debris and plastic (but still extremely beautiful). It was sad to see even the places that people rarely visit are still ruined by humans. We are residents of Kaua'i, so I think that this tour probably meant quite a bit more to us than it does for visitors to the island because we fully understand what a unique opportunity we just experienced/how special Ni'ihau is. Having said that, the other three people in our group seemed to enjoy it as well. We tipped the pilot because he was awesome, but IDK if that's normal because no one else did. For us being residents, it was worth the money. I'm not sure if I would feel the same as a tourist because of the (well justified) cost. No photos attached, as we were allowed to take them but were asked not to share them online.

They don't reply to emails and now return to sender, and no reply via phone. I presume they went…read moreout of business.

Great photo opportunity! The red makes everything pop! No smell in the water too! Can be a bit…read moredusty, so bring your sunglasses..

It was barely a water fall maybe 6ft and the site was hardly worth a drive by. Unless you're going…read moreto waimai canyon don't bother the trip

You'll definitely feel like you are in heaven if you are able to reach this 2-1/2 mile long beach…read morestate park! First, you need a 4x4 vehicle like a Jeep or Pick-Up Truck and have to drive along a rough 5-mile road with lots of bumps and ruts along the way. But totally worth the time and effort! Make sure you have all the supplies you need and have a full tank of gas prior to coming. As for the beach itself, there are lots of great and spectacular views of the scenery! The Napali Coast, Pacific Ocean, Polihale Beach State Park itself, and so much more. I did a beach stroll from end to end and took me about 2 hours overall. Just seeing this in videos and photos does not do it enough justice; you have to be there in-person to experience the serenity of nature.

Went to a wedding here and it's beautiful. People camp here as well…read more You need an AWD vehicle to go and it's about a mile inward. Usually no signal inside. Lots of bird watching opportunities. We also saw huge boars run across!!!

Beautiful black sand beach, quiet. Great secluded hideaway, I was alone all day. Stunningread more

Maybe it was the time frame we were there, but there was only one other person on the pier, so we…read morehad it to ourselves. It was so beautiful.

What a cute little park in Lihue, After our lunch at Hamura's, we made a stop here to hang out for…read morea bit, chilling before our walk to the airport. Our day walking adventure trip on Kauai is about to come to an end. Kalena Park, I like this park! We utilized one of the picnic benches to listen to our music, hydrate and catching up on social media, cell phone break! I noticed the park is very clean, ( except for the restrooms) loved the huge planters & trees! There's a basketball court and small playground area, about 7 bright picnic tables, parking is along the side and back of the park . I am surprised to see no homeless camping out but more chickens here! We were the only ones at the park until later a family arrived and eating their take out lunch. My other half went to use the restroom before he left, which looked clean from the outside but it was really dirty and messy inside. Kalena Park was part of a renovation project back in 2019 and Līhu'e Loop is an ongoing project to promote physical activity in Līhu'e's town core on the island of Kaua'i. Over the coming years the Līhu'e Loop Community Action Group, coordinated by Get Fit Kauai, endeavors to use information technology to generate and sustain interest in exploring the walking tours that start & end at the centrally located Kalena Park. At each point of interest on the Self Guided Audio Walking Tour, you can listen to a different story. Learn about Līhu'e's unique heritage, living culture, and aspirations for a vibrant future as you go! The Lihue Loop is a fun activity to do for kids, adults & families ! What a fantastic idea! Next visit to Kauai, when staying longer than a day I will add this to my Kauai to do list!

Glass beach was so fun when we visited! It actually had glass covering the very small beach area…read morethat was rubbed so smoothly from the ocean that you didn't need to worry about walking on it barefoot!! I love what is called "seaglass" that I would find occasionally in the Hampton roads area when I lived there but you would never find as much as was washed up and sitting atop the sand at this beach! What a treasure! Did we steal some seaglass here? No, and I'm sad to see in recent posting that so much of the seaglass has been stolen it is no longer a destination to see some enjoy! Folks, make your Momma's proud and enjoy the natural beauty of this and other places and take nothing. It pictures and leave nothing but footprints!

Waste of time. This was a homeless encampment. Very little glass to be found. Couldn't fill up a…read moreshot glass with what we saw