Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Besides the two Na Pali lookouts at the end of the paved highway, Koke‘e State Park is the starting point for almost 50 miles of outstanding hiking trails…
Must-see attractions in Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
This magnificent scenic drive traces the entire length of Waimea Canyon’s western rim and continues into Kokeʻe State Park, climbing 19 miles from the…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
A mile beyond the Kalalau Lookout, the paved park road dead-ends at the Pu‘u o Kila Lookout. The views of Kalalau Valley, plummeting 4000ft below, are…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Of all Kaua‘i’s wonders, none can touch Waimea Canyon for grandeur. Few would expect the island to hold such a gargantuan abyss of lava rock; popularly…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
One of Kaua‘i’s safest and loveliest-looking beaches, a favorite with local families, Salt Ponds owes its off-putting name to the separate saltwater flats…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Right at the end of the 3.1-mile Awa‘awapuhi Trail, this incredible overlook affords hard-earned views over a tortuous, sheer-walled valley that snakes…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
The endless expanse of Polihale Beach is as mystical as it is enchanting. The long slow drive here, along a rutted 5-mile dirt road, brings you to the…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Shortly before the end of the highway, the Kalalau Lookout commands a fabulous overview of Kalalau Valley, sweeping around its towering green-swathed…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
The main viewpoint at this large lookout (elevation 3640ft) faces down the deep gorge carved by Waiahulu Stream as it races to join Waimea Canyon. Look…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
This two-room museum doubles as the visitor center for Koke‘e State Park. Helpful staff provide detailed current hiking advice, and sell useful, albeit…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
This breathtaking vista, at an elevation of 3400ft, stands at the intersection of several almighty raw red cracks in the earth. The views here are very…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
First erected to span the Hanapepe River in 1911 and rebuilt after the 1992 hurricane, this wood-and-cable suspension footbridge is just three planks wide…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
The reward for hikers who make it all the way through bog and forest to the far end of the Alaka‘i Swamp Trail, the Kilohana Lookout (4022ft) commands…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Although they're across on the far wall of the canyon, these 800ft falls cam be seen from several vantage points along Waimea Canyon Dr, including the Pu…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
With more than 4 million trees planted on former sugar fields, Hawaii’s largest coffee estate produces around 60% of the state’s entire crop. In the…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Little is now visible of Hawaii’s most remarkable example of pre-contact cut-and-dressed stonework, supposedly constructed within a single night by the…
Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
A Russian fort in Hawaii? Yes, really. Constructed in 1817 above the southern bank of the mouth of Waimea River on the site of an ancient heiau (temple),…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
The Westside is renowned for its unrelenting sun and vast beaches. At the west end of Kekaha town, this long stretch of sand is best for beachcombing and…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Sitting at 4284ft, atop a ludicrously steep and slippery little hillock, this high-arching lookout provides great views down across the valleys. To reach…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
This canyon-edge lookout, across from a picnic area equipped with restrooms and drinking water, is a superb vantage point from which to admire the 800ft…
Waimea State Recreational Pier
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Flecked with microscopic green crystals called olivine, this wide, dark-tinged beach stretches between two scenic rock outcroppings and is bisected by the…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
This staggering viewpoint perches high above the Na Pali Coast at the far end of the 3.8-mile Nu‘alolo Trail. The last few hundred yards of the hike run…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
The first lookout as you climb Waimea Canyon Dr offers a good introductory view to the canyon, stretching to the east. Cross the road (carefully) to check…
West Kauaʻi Technology & Visitor Center
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Waimea’s friendly visitor center holds modest but interesting exhibits on Hawaiian culture, Captain Cook, sugar plantations and the US military. Its gift…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
This overlook marks the end of the Canyon Trail. Enjoy epic canyon and waterfall views as you rest at the picnic table.
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Walk east from this roadside lookout for amazing views of the verdant canyon below.
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
While certainly not a swimming beach, this little cove lures visitors to pick through the well-worn debris along the shoreline. The glass hasn’t come far;…
Waimea United Church of Christ
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
What’s now the Waimea United Church of Christ was originally erected in 1847 by Reverend George Rowell. Protestant missionaries had lived in Waimea for…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Waimea’s plantation-era core offers some interesting architecture. Take a short stroll to admire the neoclassical First Hawaiian Bank (1929), the art deco…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Sunday’s Hawaiian-language mass at this simple low-slung church makes an interesting way to connect with local culture. Waimea’s first Christian…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Well before you reach Hanapepe as you approach from the east, shortly after Mile 14 on the highway, this roadside lookout offers a view deep into Hanapepe…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
It’s a telling reflection of how locals feel about Captain Cook that the beach where he first landed is named not for Cook but for Waimea’s first Native…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
A statue of Captain James Cook stands on Waimea’s central green space. When his ships Resolution and Discovery sailed into Waimea Bay in January 1778,…
McBryde Sugar Company Cemetery
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Recently unearthed following decades of neglect, this cemetery above Glass Beach has an impressive view. Worker camps encircled this area during the 19th…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
This small grassy park at Waimea’s main intersection holds a statue of Captain Cook. Display panels explain local history.
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
The evocative skeleton of this 19th-century sugar mill still looms over Waimea. Pumping out sugar from the Westside, it fueled Kaua‘i’s economy until 1945…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
The precise spot where Captain Cook first set foot on Hawaiian soil being unknown, a large boulder near the mouth of Waimea River was arbitrarily chosen…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Between Kekaha Beach Park and Polihale State Park, the Westside's biggest beach stretches for around 15 miles. Much of it is taken up by the US Navy’s…
Waimea Canyon & the Westside
Continue up the hillside for 100yd beyond Glass Beach for long-range ocean views.
