Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!
Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It is ten miles long and 3000 feet deep (The Grand Canyon in Arizona is 277 miles long and 6000 feet deep.) Waimea Canyon was formed both by erosion from the Waimea River cutting through the rock and by the collapse of the volcano that formed Kauai.
Waipo’o Falls is an 800-foot waterfall, flowing in two tiers from the Kokee Stream, dropping over the side of Waimea Canyon. We were there in April, so the water was flowing freely. In the summer, it can slow to a trickle.
There is a head-on view of the canyon from Waimea Canyon Lookout. We could see Waipo’o Falls flowing down the opposite wall with helicopters hovering near it.
A few miles up the road, we stopped at a pullout (Pu’u Ka Pele Lookout) for an even better look at the falls. We were still pretty far away and had to use the telephoto lens. The only way to get closer is to hike to the top of the falls or take a helicopter tour.
Kauai Posts:
- Wailua Falls
- Lihue Plantation Hanama‘ulu Ditch
- ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls
- Wailua River State Park
- Mount Waiʻaleʻale
- Fuji Beach
- Moloa’a Beach
- Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
- Kīlauea Lighthouse
- Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge
- Wai’oli Hui’ia Church
- NININI POINT LIGHTHOUSE
- Waimea Canyon State Park: Red Dirt Falls
- Waimea Canyon State Park: Waimea Canyon Lookout
- Waimea Canyon State Park: Waipo’o Falls
- Kōkeʻe State Park: Kalalau Lookout
- Kōkeʻe State Park: Pu’u O Kila Lookout
- Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park
- Hanapepe Swinging Bridge
- Spouting Horn
- Koloa Heritage Trail: Spouting Horn
- Koloa Heritage Trail: Keoneloa Bay
- Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park
Location: Waimea Canyon Dr, Waimea, HI 96796
Designation: State Park
Date of my visit: April 19, 2019
