Waimea Canyon Trail: Cliff, Canyon & Black Pipe

Waimea Canyon Hiking Trails

Koke'e and Waimea State Park

Hiking on Kauai is a great family-friendly activity; provided you pick the right trails. Thankfully, these three ridge-top trails not only fit the bill for family fun, they also have spectacular views of Waimea Canyon. Let's explore them a bit here.

We'll begin by saying that some hikers only go as far as Waipoo Falls along the Canyon Trail; others only take the short walk to the end of the Cliff Trail. Heading north on Hwy. 550 to just beyond the mile marker 14 (there is a 'Kokee State Park' entrance sign),  you'll see Halemanu road splitting off the paved road to the right. The best place to park is on the makai (left) side of Hwy. 550, directly opposite Halemanu Road. 

The hike down Halemanu Road to the beginning of the trail(s) is 3/4th of a mile one-way, with a right-hand turn when you reach the top of a hill at the 0.6 mile point. The trails will begin near a small parking lot at the end of the road. As you proceed down the trail, you'll soon come to a junction (with signs), where the Cliff Trail will split off to the right. 

Starting from the main highway, the total distance for this hike is roughly 1.8 miles round trip; roughly an hour total for the hike and back. 

At the same junction noted above, the Canyon Trail forks downhill to the left and it is slightly less than a mile (one-way) to the 'overlook' above Waipoo Falls. When starting from the main highway, the Canyon Trail is approximately four miles round trip and will take about 2-3 hours depending on hiking pace.

The views of the canyon on the approach to Waipoo Falls are wonderful, but please note that you CANNOT see the falls since you are actually above them (most folks do not realize then when they start the hike). There is a small pool surrounded by yellow ginger upstream from the main (hidden) falls. The trail includes a climb of several hundred feet in elevation and steep dropoffs along the canyon rim.