Kauaʻi Garden Isle

Kauaʻi's Grand Vistas

Kauaʻi's roads don't circle the island. The impassable Nāpali Coast creates a natural barrier. Instead, the island offers two main, world-class scenic drives that head in opposite directions from the south: one into the heart of a colossal canyon, the other to the serene beaches of the North Shore. Driving on Kauaʻi is a journey into the island's raw, powerful, and ancient beauty.

Waimea Canyon & Kōkeʻe Drive: The Grand Canyon of the Pacific

This is a drive of staggering scale and beauty. Waimea Canyon Drive (Highway 550) takes you from the sunny, historic town of Waimea on the west coast up 4,000 feet in elevation along the rim of what Mark Twain famously called "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific." The canyon is a spectacle of geology, over 10 miles long and 3,000 feet deep, its deep, iron-rich red soil contrasting sharply with the lush green vegetation that clings to its cliffs.

Key Stops & Lookouts

The drive is a steady climb with numerous pullouts offering ever-more-dramatic views. Near the start of the ascent, keep an eye out for the informal but beautiful Red Dirt Waterfall, a series of small cascades flowing over a hillside of brilliant red soil. The main official stops are the Waimea Canyon Lookout (around mile marker 10) and the Puʻu Hinahina Lookout (mile marker 13.5), both of which provide sweeping vistas into the main canyon and of the 800-foot Waipoʻo Falls.

The road continues into the adjacent Kōkeʻe State Park, culminating in two of the most spectacular viewpoints in all of Hawaiʻi: the Kalalau Lookout (mile marker 18) and, at the very end of the road, the Puʻu o Kila Lookout (mile marker 19). These lookouts do not face Waimea Canyon, but rather peer into the heart of the sacred Kalalau Valley and the iconic, fluted cliffs of the Nāpali Coast.