Wulfstan C.

Koke'e State Park has magnificent views over the NaPali Coast of Kauai. That coast is one of the most famous and strikingly scenic parts of not only Kauai, but the entire state. However, it is only accessible directly by the Kalalau Trail, which has a trailhead at Ha'ena State Park on the borth shore (at the northern end of the Kuhio highway), through the NaPali Coast Wilderness park, or by seeing it from the heights above, accessible only from Koke'e State Park. This park is only reached via the dead-end road through Waimea Canyon State Park which starts at Waimea on the south shore. There are excellent views at the scenic overlooks, plus some hiking trails providing additional views. There is a visitor centre with shop, toilets, picnic areas, and eatery in the park. As of July 2023, the road after Kalalau Overlook, continuing to Pu'u O Kila overlook, gets significantly more rough. There is one significant patch of deep potholes across the entire road at one spot, which is daunting, but we had a regular sedan and made it across with no problem by being careful. After that, the holes are easier to avoid. One should visit both this park and Waimea Canyon on the same day, since the road is a dead-end and you must go through Waimea Canyon to get to this park. One should allow several hours for a a decent visit.

Cody A.

You have to drive thru Waimea Canyon State Park. It's worth the drive to the very last lookout. It was cloudy but you can sit in your car and wait for the weather to change. You pay for parking once and it's good for all the lookouts. On the way back, we stopped at Kokee Lodge for breakfast and coffee. Loco Moco with Kaluha pork was yummy. Portuguese bean soup will warm you up. We also visited the museum (opens at 10:30).

Jennifer W.

12/3/21 I was going through my photos & Walking down memory lane and I came across the first trip since the pandemic started to Kauai. If you're coming from Princeville like we were, it took a good hour & a half or so as we drove leisurely through the main highway (Kuhio Hwy). It's definitely a feast for the eyes and hubby & I have been visiting Kaua'i since 2007. It never gets old. Due to its climate & topography, Kaua'i is ever changing. Every year we look forward to what has changed & what stayed the same. Some years the island gets its fair share of typhoons/storms that make it both difficult & challenging for the locals & tourists alike. It's typically recommended to check the weather reports before arriving do tourists are better prepared. For at least 2 -3 events since 2007, storms hit Kaua'i that devastated its island, economy & people (which also affected their tourism industry). It was sad but the people are resilient & they recover , thankfully. Not even the pandemic can keep them down. A few years ago, heavy rains caused severe mudslides that rendered their precious Napali coast area that many places were inaccessible past Princeville. This was major blow to their economy & tourism. I waited and kept checking when it became accessible again. I believe it took several months (maybe a year or so). As I mentioned earlier, they're resilient and lo and behold, an actual parking lot was established to access Ke'e Beach & Kalalau trail. Finally! It's a long winding road with a gradient, your rental that's a 4 cylinder will make it but I'd recommend something bigger & stronger, It's a sight to see at least once in your lifetime (or yearly).If it's lush, tropical, verdant & beautiful, peace & tranquility you're looking for, come to Kaua'i & explore! Mahalo for reading my lengthy & nostalgic review. Aloha

Daniel C.

Beautiful scenery hikes nature. Can drive up bike up walking will take too long. Once get to the top can hike or just take pictures then come back down. If going hiking, expect to get muddy and tired, but amazing views.

Andrew H.

In most other states (with the exception of Alaska), this place would be a NATIONAL park. This is where all the best hiking trails are on the island. A couple of warnings: Almost all the trails start at high elevations and go DOWNHILL to lower elevations. This means "going in" is fast and "coming out" is SLOW. This is the complete opposite of most trails. Many days there is afternoon fog that completely obscures the views. To remedy this, you need to either start really early (6am, which is unheard of on island time), or really late (hike out for sunset, hike back with a headlamp). You might get lucky with a "brunch start", but I personally wouldn't chance it. You really don't want to miss these views. Since this area is often ~4,000 ft, temps can be 10 to 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the island, dress accordingly! Make sure you visit the wonderful Kokee Lodge for an amazing meal made with local ingredients and some live music. Make sure you get an Ola Ginger Hard Seltzer, the perfect after-hike tonic. (again, be warned, they close early!) I could've explored this State Park for a week and still had more things to do (missed the swamp hikes and the island high point....next time). One of my favorite hikes in the area was the Awa'awapuhi Trail and its billion dollar view: https://www.yelp.com/biz/awaawapuhi-trail-waimea Have fun, be safe, drink Ola Ginger afterwards!

Tina A.

Koke'e campground is a beautiful spot to spend the night! You can reserve a campsite online, and they fill up on busy weekends so good to book in advance. Once we got there, it's not obvious where the campsites are. Once you pull into the campground parking, look for a stone building (the bathrooms) then start walking up the hill beyond it. You should start to see little clearings between the trees each with their own tent spot, grill, and picnic table. Those are the campsites! If you can't find them, you can always ask in the museum or grill and they can point you in the right direction. We had a great campsite up on the hill. It was nice and quiet and the trees provided privacy from the neighbors. The temperatures got down in the 50s at night due to the higher elevation, which made it great sleeping weather with a light sleeping bag. The best part were the stars!! Before the moon came out, you could see thousands of stars without any city lights to block the way. Camping in Koke'e was great, and I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for an outdoor adventure in Kauai.

Nancy C.

Beautiful must visit on Kauai, takes about 1 hour drive from Koloa area. On the way there there are about five pull off overlook spots. One of them you can see a waterfall from but it is not marked so easy to miss but don't fret there are other obvious designated pull off locations. Lots of twists and turns getting up there. There are many little trails within the park as well or areas to just hop out and do a short walk to an overlook area so it's all covered. There isn't an entrance fee like most state parks on the mainland so that is pretty cool of Hawaii.

John S.

The park takes up a portion of Waimea Canyon and offers spectacular views. There's tent camping and a few cabins, plus a museum and restaurant. Remember to gas up before you come up the canyon road. Bring water, snacks and sunscreen. If it's cloudy, wait a while and see if it will clear up. The weather changes quickly on Kaua'i. Leave with memories of some of the prettiest sights on earth.

Anita L.

What a magnificent sight it was to see Waimea Canyon from its lookout point. There are several stops along the way including Puu Hinahina Lookout which gives you a good view of Niihau, the forbidden island, on a clear day. The roads are seriously windy and even for someone who is not generally proned to car sickness, I got a bit queasy and had to close my eyes and lay back for a while. It was well worth it though as the breathtaking sight will make you forget all your nausea and whatnot.

Shirley M. F.

I have visited Kokee State Park and the Kalalau Valley Lookout viewing the Na Pali Coast several times. In 2006, I took my daughters, Joy and Kristina to take pics of this beautiful, serene scenic wonderment. Here are my pics I took of Kokee State Park from 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007-I hope you will enjoy viewing all my pics of Kauai. should you want to know the location of a pic, please feel free to send me a message. My pics of the Island of Kauai, including Kokee State Park Kalalau Lookout: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabler/sets/72157603155879196/ In addition, here's another URL to view the many pics taken of this famous, beautiful lookout by other visitors: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/zXub_vxJ8Y_KOxZhGH97sA?action_user_photos=1 The colours of this majestic scenery appears as an artistic painting with sporadic fog banks wafting intermittently. Still, I have discovered that over the years, Kauai had to place barriers from people falling off the sheer cliffs. Visitors used to be able to hike down the ravine in 2004, but this past year when I visited Kokee State Park, the hiking trails have been barricaded. So, in July 2007, I noticed a drastic change with the scenery which has been visually hindered by the steel bannister barricade. The Kokee State Park has made drastic safety improvements for visitors' safety, but it slightly diminished its beauty visually. Heads Up: Go to the very TOP of Kokee State Park's road FIRST and do not stop to view the other look outs. By the time you have taken your pics of Kokee Lookout, ALL and every tour bus will descend upon the miniscule cul-de-sac parking lot making it very difficult to move your car. After viewing Kokee Lookout, then go visit the other lookouts in peace and quiet. Please drive very slowly up and down the Kokee State Park's road because there are countless gargantuan size potholes that will ruin the rental car's tires and axle. I had to pay the costly price replacing one of rental car's tire and paid a rental car agreement chump fee, despite I had $1 million car insurance.

Heather S.

This is a great park for camping and hiking. It's pretty spread out , so a car is necessary. There are great views of the ocean , but I did not see any beach access.

Kevin L.

If you've taken (or will take) the boat tours of the Na Pali coast, this is basically the same valleys, but from a different angle. You can even see the cruises from the lookouts. This is definitely one-of-a-kind. A must see. At the Kalalau lookout, hop the fence on the right side and you'll find a small trail. There's a nice clearing there for better photos. -- PHOTOS: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kokee-state-park-waimea?select=kLY7Q0_T9U4DiqgQXhZ5hQ#kLY7Q0_T9U4DiqgQXhZ5hQ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kokee-state-park-waimea?select=kLY7Q0_T9U4DiqgQXhZ5hQ#xC9A_TwIDbmmLQcuGT-cmQ