Anything regarding nature in Kauai is an automatic 5 stars. That being said,I don't spend a lot of…read moretime on this side of the island. It's beautiful but, arrid compared to the tropical " wet" side. However,I've put my time in exploring this side and as with the entire garden isle, beautiful. This trail can get hot but the cliff side views and multiple color blues of the ocean make it worth it. One of the things making Kauai my favorite island is the diversity. I a single day you can experience several unique ecosystems. If you do Maha'ulepu trail,make sure your sunscreened and hydrated. Shaka Brah

Beautiful trail along the hike that is fairly easy to moderate. A few bumpy parts, but no major…read moreelevation. Easy parking by Shipwreck Beach at the starting point. Took us a little over 2 hours with some photo opps.

one of our favorite hikes in Kauai and such a beautiful beach at the start perfect for a post hike…read moredip! Make sure to get a coconut right up the road after!

The views are lovely. You'll spend most of this hike looking at your feet. The terrain is very…read moreuneven. Rocks, roots. The views are stunning, when you pause to stop checking your steps.

This was an easy drive straight to the end of Maalo Road, and it's free!!…read moreIf you plan on doing any driving on Kauai I highly recommend buying the Shaka App. Four self guided driving tours with colorful narration and cultural storytelling.

Located at the end of Maalo Road, this beautiful double waterfall cannot be safely or legally…read moreaccessed due to the notoriously steep, muddy, and very slick unmaintained trail down. But you can however view it safely from the designated roadside lookout. The parking lot here, although free, is very small and often filled to the brim with cars. The lot itself is also in desperate need of maintenance as it is filled with potholes, so getting in and out may be tricky. There are also vendors who fill up the front part of this lot, which further add to the chaos. Located in a sacred royal valley once known as the capital of Kauai, ancient Hawaiian chieftains and warriors use to test their bravery by leaping from the top of this nearly 200ft tall waterfall. There's not a lot to do once you get up to the top of the lookout except to snap a few photos. So it is debatable if it is worth the drive all the way out to here and dealing with the whole parking lot situation.

Views of Waimea Canyon from the opposite side…read more November 2021. Saw a long trail alongside a cliff on the opposite side of Waimea Canyon and put it on my bucket list to hike it. March 26, 2022, started the Canyon hike from the Puu Hinahina Lookout. We had previously that morning done 2 hours of hiking the Pihea Trail off of the Puu o Kila lookout in Kokee Park, 7 miles away. Had started this hike in November 2021 but turned back after 30 minutes. This time we came prepared with hat, hiking poles, hiking boots, long sleeve pants, long sleeve shirts, water, hat, granola bars and fruit sticks. The first 45 minutes of the hike are the toughest part, steep downward hike over muddy terrain, broken by deep ruts and cuts into the surface. Dense tree cover means the trail never dries out, even though it had not rained in weeks. Slippery even with hiking boots and hiking poles. Tree roots ready to trip you with every move. And no view, as the tree cover prevents you from seeing Waimea Canyon. Eventually the trails levels out, with a parking lot for those who have joined the trail a mile farther up from the Kokee road at the Halemanu road, shaving an hour off the hike. Dense jungle gives way to peeks of Waimea Canyon, and finally on a spur to the right the Cliff overlook, where we see goats scrambling on the cliffs nearby. In a distance, the long trail alongside a cliff on the edge of Waimea Canyon. Trail continues downward, through water ravaged terrain, tree roots at every corner of the trail. Boulders start appearing, and finally an opening, a long plateau leading to the falls. This is the long trail alongside the cliffs with panoramic views of the Waimea Canyon, but from the opposite side. Don't get too close to the edge, as steep drop-offs along the canyon rim. More boulders, and boulder hoping down the steep trail, and then a fast-running stream. On the left is a walk to a large pond, and mini waterfalls, and on the right is the top of the Waipoo Falls. Cliffs of stone formations in the distance. No view of the falls themselves, as you are literally on top of the falls. Took 4 hours to do the complete hike, probably a record slow time, as we were passed by numerous toddlers, and at least two different encounters with hikers going barefoot!

Pu'u Hinahina Lookout from my POV, is the 2nd best lookout located within Waimea Canyon State Park…read more The most well known overlook is Waimea Canyon Lookout...located at Mile Marker 10 of the park. This Pu'u Hinahina is situated on the right hand side of Koke'e Road at Mile Marker 13.5. It can't be missed. And just like at Waimea Canyon Lookout, there is plenty of parking here as well. Now...I'd like to point out how tricky all these lookouts and vista points are here, not just among Waimea Canyon, but in this Pu'u Hinahina area. Let me try to explain... So, there's actually no Pu'u Hinahina Lookout, there are two observation points within Pu'u Hinahina. They are... - Canyon Viewpoint - magical! One of the superior perspectives representative of Waimea Canyon. - Ni'ihau Viewpoint - waste of time. Nothing to see. You need 15 seconds at this overlook before turning around. Both Canyon Viewpoint and Ni'ihau Viewpoint are short walks on paved pathways. Also within this Pu'u Hinahina Lookout, you have the prominent Canyon Trail leading to Waipo'o Falls. Canyon Trail is the most popular hike at Waimea Canyon. I noticed there's a separate Yelp category for writing about Waipo'o Falls and I'll delve more into the hiking experience over there, but let me at least start here with the basics... After checking out Canyon and Ni'ihau Viewpoints, the next logical step while at Pu'u Hinahina Lookout is to hike the 1.8 mile (each way) Canyon Trail. The estimated hiking time is 2 - 3 hours. I'll just sum up the hike right now... There's not much to see along the way to Waipo'o Falls. I started daydreaming about my next activity while at Waimea Canyon. Overall, it's a casual walk downhill among a tropical rainforest. This means that the return trip back uphill to the trailhead is moderately strenuous. I actually never discovered the real Waipo'o Falls. Supposedly it's one of the tallest waterfalls in Hawaii, yet instead I arrived at two small pools with mini trickledown waterfalls. I spoke with fellow visitors and they said this Canyon Trail to Waipo'o Falls is deceiving, and that at the end of the hike, you're actually standing on top of Waipo'o Falls. And if you'd like to get real views of Waipo'o Falls, you have to do some intense rock repelling down the cliff faced walls which is dangerous. Ultimately, Canyon Trail to Waipo'o Falls was disappointing especially with the bar for it set very high. Lastly, just to mention, it doesn't happen often, but there were threatening clouds in the sky as I started along Canyon Trail. And me thinking I'm in a Hawaiian paradise and impervious to weather conditions, what could go wrong? Well, yes, I got caught in an afternoon thunderstorm without rain gear. I was drenched for the remainder of the day. This was for the middle of August. Just something to keep in mind because the weather can swiftly change. And finally, lol, gotta put this out there. The island of Kauai is home to roosters and chickens all over the place. During my visit I had never seen anything like it. Returning back to the parking lot, I had some leftover pancakes from breakfast and fed them. They're pretty much waiting and anticipating you'll approach them. They'll gladly eat out of your hands too as they aren't shy. Overall, Pu'u Hinahina Lookout has its up and downs. Canyon Viewpoint is a masterclass setting. Ni'ihau Viewpoint needs a makeover. Canyon Trail to Waipo'o Falls was a letdown. Still, in the grand scheme of exploring Waimea Canyon, stopping by here at Pu'u Hinahina is a Must Do because of its accessible location inside the park.

A fantastic intermediate trail if you're looking for some good exercise and aren't scared of a…read morelittle mud. It took two hours to go up and down while stopping for lots of photos and going at a pretty leisurely pace. Mostly covered, so it felt great even on a sunny day. Highly recommend.

This was much harder than I expected. The valet at the hotel told me to try it, and I didn't…read morerealize that it was gonna be slippery with rocks and roots throughout. Once it started raining, I was slipping and sliding the whole way absolutely gorgeous, but definitely wear tennis or hiking shoes.

Did this hike today and am still feeling like i have a lingering adrenaline rush at bedtime…read more Absolutely amazing, and will be potentially the high point of my entire trip. We'll see how sore I am tomorrow, lol. The only hike I have ever done that was harder was Half Dome, from the base to the top in one day. This might actually be more technically challenging because of the slipperiness in so many places. I didn't take any bad spills but the possibility was always there. I highly recommend starting early, before it gets hot. Makes a big difference in terms of how much water you need and how much sweating you do. A couple of minor things: one review mentions filling up water bottles at the waterfall. It's probably safe but as one of those nerds who reads the informational signs posted, they don't recommend you do that as the water can apparently have leptospirosis. Also, another review mentions water above the waist. They are pretty clear that you should not be crossing if the water is that high: In fact, you are supposed to turn back if it's above knee height. Happy hiking!!

This was an absolutely beautiful and incredible hike, one of the most amazing trails! Let's be…read morehonest though, this was a hard hike. The sun will beat down on you and you're gonna climb some inclines. To get to the trail and hike you need a permit, we went through a tourist service that provided a Shuttle at Hāʻena State Park. The shuttle is frequent so you're able to plan your day and get a ride back to the lot. When they say bring 2 liters of water per person, they mean it. We also brought 2 snack bars per person too. Listen to the guides at the beginning!! This hike took us about ~6.5-7 hours with some breaks and we swam in the waterfall. I highly recommend picking up dinner and storing it in your fridge because restaurants might be closed by the time you finish the hike. Ke'e beach is right on the trailhead, this is a safe beach to enjoy! The beach at 4 miles (halfway towards the waterfall) is not safe and it is mentioned over and over- the rip tides will sweep you away. On the trail, there were lots of guava which smelled amazing! You cross the flowing stream from the waterfall multiple times. The trail can get muddy too. It rained briefly on the way back and it was really nice break from the sun. The falls were worth the hike for sure. So beautiful and cool to swim. I would hike this again, so incredible! I will say, I was extremely exhausted and sore after, but loved the experience!

Very beautiful views and a classic look! I had so much fun with this place! It was too coolread more

Quick stop along the road to view the valley. No amenities, just a place to pull over and take on…read morethe views.

Usually I have an itinerary when I go on vacation. But I didn't for a week long stay in Kauai…read morethinking we'll just hang loose. We'd been to Kauai before but it was many years ago. I was reading up on the Napali Coast. Want to see it without going by air or by sea. Take a hike. We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. But got a clue on the park and ride shuttle when our driver gave a hint. He said if you only want to get a shot of Napali Coast it'll only take you 20 minutes. We started following the signs in Haena State Park where the Trail begins. Folks left sticks that you can use as walking poles. We each took one. Immediately I'm not liking it. The Trail begins as a steep climb on jagged rocks. And it's wet & muddy as it rains intermittently. We were the first group out at 6:30am. More hikers as the day went on. It's 0.5 miles to the lookout. It took us an hour there and an hour back. 2 hours. We got our photo.

This trail was HARD- we took the hanakapiai falls trail and didn't even make it to the falls. We…read moregot a parking spot pass so we had to be back within 6 hours and it took us the whole 6 hours to do. Of course the beauty of the trail kept us going along with the fresh guava we snacked on and the river water we splashed on our faces... I work out 5x a week and this kicked my toosh. This trail is not for the unseasoned hikers. The elevation gain is MASSIVE (2,500+ ft)! We were absolutely pooped by the end. Beware this trail is quite rocky and ankle injuries are common. As long as you have lots of water, more than 6 hours, good ankle support and lot of snacks (more than you think) you'll have an excellent time.