Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cutting the canyon deeper and wider, and nobody can say what the result will be
100 million years from now.
THE DRIVE THROUGH WAIMEA CANYON & UP TO KOKEE
By car, there are two ways to visit Waimea Canyon and reach Kokee State Park,
20 miles up from Waimea. From the coastal road (Hwy. 50), you can turn up
Waimea Canyon Drive (Hwy. 550) at Waimea town; or you can pass through
Waimea and turn up Kokee Road (Hwy. 55) at Kekaha. The climb is very steep
from Kekaha, but Waimea Canyon Drive, the rim road, is narrower and
rougher. A few miles up, the two merge into Kokee Road.
The first good vantage point is Waimea Canyon Lookout, located between
mile markers 10 and 11 on Waimea Canyon Road. From here, it's another 6
miles to Kokee. There are a few more lookout points along the way that also
offer spectacular views, such as Puu Hina Hina Lookout, between mile mark-
ers 13 and 14, at 3,336 feet; be sure to pull over and spend a few minutes pon-
dering this natural wonder. (The giant white object that looks like a golf ball and
defaces the natural landscape is a radar station left over from the Cold War.)
KOKEE STATE PARK
It's only 16 miles from Waimea to Kokee, but the park is a whole different world
because it is 4,345 acres of rainforest. You'll enter a new climate zone, where the
breeze has a bite and trees look quite continental. You're in a cloud forest on the
edge of the Alakai Swamp, the largest swamp in Hawaii, on the summit plateau
of Kauai. Days are cool and wet, with intermittent bright sunshine, not unlike
Seattle on a good day. Bring a sweater and, if you're staying over, be sure you
know how to light a fire. (Overnight lows dip into the 40s.)
Right next to Kokee Lodge (which lies on the only road through the park,
about a mile before it ends) is the Kokee Natural History Museum ( & 808/
335-9975; www.aloha.net/~kokee), open daily from 10am to 4pm (free admis-
sion). This is the best place to learn about the forest and Alakai Swamp before
you set off hiking in the wild. The museum shop has great trail information and
local books and maps, including the official park trail map. I recommend get-
ting the Pocket Guide on Native Plants on the Nature Trail for Kokee State Park
and the Road Guide to Kokee and Waimea Canyon State Park.
A nature walk is the best intro to this rainforest; it starts behind the museum
at the rare Hawaiian koa tree. This easy, self-guided walk of about .25 mile takes
about 20 minutes if you stop and look at all the plants identified along the way.
Two miles above Kokee Lodge is Kalalau Lookout , the spectacular climax
of your drive through Waimea Canyon and Kokee. When you stand at the look-
out, below you is a work in progress that began at least 5 million years ago. It's
hard to stop looking; the view is breathtaking, especially when light and cloud
shadows play across the red-and-orange cliffs.
There's lots more to see and do up here: Anglers fly-fish for rainbow trout,
and hikers tackle the 45 trails that lace the Alakai Swamp. (See “For the Active
Family,” later in this chapter.) That's a lot of ground to cover, so you might want
to plan on staying over. If pitching a tent is too rustic for you, the wonderful
cabins set in a grove of redwoods are one of the best lodging bargains in the
islands. (See “Family-Friendly Accommodations,” earlier in this chapter.) The
restaurant at Kokee Lodge (p. 354) is open for continental breakfast and lunch,
daily from 9am to 3:30pm.
For advance information, contact the State Division of Parks, P.O. Box
1671, Lihue, HI 96766 ( & 808/335-5871 ); and the Kokee Lodge Manager,
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