Travel-Kauai, Waimea Canyon

Yesterday I mentioned today would be a style post, but I’m waiting for some better weather tomorrow.  For today I wanted to share a Thursday Travel post detailing our amazing drive through the Waimea Canyon on Kauai island in Hawaii.  This is Wrinkled Chiffon’s guide to get the most out of your adventure!  So for those of you that plan on visiting, please keep this post handy for the future and I would love feedback from those of you who have already visited.

In this guide, I’ll point out the best route, a few things you’ll see along the way, recommendations on the best stops and photo opportunities and of course, share some of my photos.  On the way back, I’ll offer a recommendation of a restaurant for you to try for dinner and give a couple lessons learned.  Waimea Canyon is a fantastic afternoon trip and I know you’ll love it!

Depending on where you are staying on the island of Kauai, the travel time will be different but no two points on the Island are too far apart.  I’d recommend budgeting around 4 hours for your visit to Waimea Canyon (don’t worry…its well worth the commitment).  So plan on leaving the town of Waimea around 4 hours before sunset to maximize your photos and time.

To begin, head to the town of Waimea, but instead of heading into the canyon from there continue through Waimea to the town of Kekaha.  From Kekaha, head into the canyon on route 520 (Kokee Road)…let’s save the route down to Waimea for the way back!  It’s basically a straight shot from there and as you make your way to the official start of the park, you’ll be able to pull off the road and enjoy some of the scenery like this…

The first stop we made was, of course, to highlight my Loubou at the entrance of the State Park.  It’s a great quick stop and picture nab!  From there, continue into the park to mile marker 10 which is the pull off for the Waimea Canyon lookout – a breath taking view over the 1 mile wide, 10 mile long long “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”.  From this vantage point you are around 3,400 feet up and the wind was as fierce as Tyra, ha!  Don’t forget to bring a cover-up.  Take some time to soak in the views and chase the wild Kauai chickens!

Next, head back out to the main road and continue into the park to near mile marker 13.  This is the pull-off for the Puu Hinahina lookout, a fantastic opportunity to view the Canyon as it stretches down towards the sea.

From there we journeyed on to mile marker 18 and the incredible Kalalau Valley Overlook and boy were we shocked when we got there.  This overlook is just incredible!  What a beautiful landscape and view of the remarkable and famous Kalalau Valley (think Jurassic Park and Six Days/Seven Nights)!  Take some time to soak in the views here and when you’re ready, its time to press on to the next viewpoint.

The next stopping point is literally at the end of the road, the Pu’u o Kila Lookout.  If you planned your trip as suggested, you should be hitting this point as the sun is getting ready to set.  It was a magnificent sight at this time of the day and not crowded either.  We took a little extra adventure and climbed down the dirt on a “saddle” ridge to a point which afford a great view to the left of the Pacific Ocean and to the right Waimea Canyon and Mt. Wai’ale’ale, one of the wettest places on Earth!

From here, climb back in the car and head back the direction you came.  This time, make sure you keep left onto route 550 and head back towards Waimea.  Along the way, you should be leaving the park right as the sun is setting over the Pacific and the “Forbidden Island”.  Enjoy the drive and be like me – take plenty of photos!

As far as restaurants, we found that a lot were closed in Waimea after sunset, but we ended up finding a great place called Brick Oven Pizza located in Kalaheo at 2-2555 Kaumualii Hwy.  I definitely recommend it for a great pizza that as they say “broke da mouth”!  You’ll have to try it to understand the joke, but a little hint is the garlic butter brushed crust.

Have a great time and be safe!  Some of my take-aways…

– Make sure you have a full tank of gas
– Map of Kauai (or GPS)
– Lots of water
– Warm clothes (it was freezing at the lookouts)
– Comfortable shoes
– Snacks

Stay tuned for two back to back style posts tomorrow and Friday!  Have a great Wednesday!