Wailua River State Park in Kauai, Hawaii
Written: Dec 13 '02 (Updated Apr 01 '03)
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Pros: Beautiful scenery, an affordable day with lots to do.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Wailua River State Park has a lot to offer. It is a series of sites including Hawaiian Temples, the River and the Falls. A must do.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Wailua River State Park |
Wailua River State Park is made up of many parts. We spent an entire day exploring these parts during our trip to Kauai, Hawaii this past summer. I will do this review by writing how we visited these parts.
What and Where is Wailua River State Park and how to navigate it?
Wailua River State Park is on the East Coast of Kauai in the city of Wailua. The river is 20 miles long and fed by the wettest spot on earth, Mount Waialeale. You can access the park, heias, and a great overlook of the river on Kuamoos Road or Highway 580. Wailua River starts at the Wai'ale'ale Crater but there are a few ways to enter it if you want to rent a kayak. The mouth of the river enters the ocean at Wailua Bay near the town of Wailua on Highway 56. Take Highway 56 north toward Wailua. Cruise boats and kayak rentals are located on the south side of the Wailua River (before crossing the bridge).
A. You can also take a tour if kayaking is not your thing. There are several things I want to point out about kayaking and where to rent one.
1. We were told to stay to the right on the river because large boats would be on the river and we want to stay away. It is true that staying to the right makes sense but the largest boat I saw was the one tour boat that ran on the river all day long back and forth and is the size of a large tour bus. It is called a riverboat and this tour will cost you $15.00 for 40 minutes. It stops at Fern Grotto.
2. It is true that the wind if heavier later in the day but it wasn’t so windy that we had any problem getting back. In my opinion, you do not have to be on the river at 7:00a.m. We were on it by 10:30a.m. and returned at 4:00p.m. and that was just fine. You will see a lot of people kayaking but the river is not crowded. You won’t have to worry about not having room to paddle! The river is long and large enough for everyone. It is 5 miles round trip and takes an average of 2 ½ hours depending on how long you spend at Fern Grotto and hiking.
3. There are several kayak rental facilities. We wanted a double kayak. I’ll save you some time and summarize what we found out. Kayak Wailua has a 10% off coupon in the Alamo trip book (and I am sure in any of the rental car agency books) but the price there is only $5 less than Wailua Kayak & Canoe. It was $55.00 at Kayak Wailua and $60 at Wailua Kayak & Canoe. There is a slight difference in kayaks as well. Kayak Wailua, which is the facility we ended up with, has larger kayaks than Wailua Kayak & Canoe but the seats and cushions looked nicer at Wailua Kayak. Another thing, which sounds petty is that our dry bag (which is what it sounds like – you keep your things in it) had no handle and others we saw from other facilities did. This may not sound like a big deal but if you are hiking, a handle is nice! A major benefit to Kayak Wailua is that it was a very short walk with the kayak on rollers to the river. Other facilities are not on the river and you will have to put the kayak on the car. This is not the only one on the river, though. Kalokila Hawaiian Village, which is a family owned area giving a tour of a village in the “olden days” rents kayaks for $50 and you can put it right in the water. This is located across from the Opaeka’a Falls Lookout where you will stop at some point during the day. I’ll talk about that when we get to it.
The staff at Kayak Wailua was immature kids whom we found rude. If this is convenient for you, then use them. They may not be working there by the time you go! Paradise Outdoor Adventure and Kauai Water Ski will usually let you keep the kayak overnight if that is something you want to do.
Make sure you pick up some food before you go. You don't want to have to park your car (Which is easy and free but space is limited.) and then realize you have no food! Bring raingear as well. Although you will have a dry bag with you, a poncho for yourself isn't a bad idea. Of course sunscreen and bug spray if you are hiking are necessary as well.
B. You will be given a clearly marked waterproof map, which will show you the way to Fern Grotto. This was a very popular place in which Hawaiian got married. It still is, though how many people get up the bank is still a mystery to me. If the mud is slippery, which seems to be the case in most of Hawaii, getting up the bank is tricky but it can be done.
From the dock, once you get up the bank there is just a short easy to walk on paved walkway to and around the grotto. You can go inside it. There was when we were there a weak waterfall over the side. Fern Grotto is a lava rock cavern covered with tropical ferns. At the grotto, Hawaiian musicians playing traditional, local songs serenaded us. Although they are only marked on one side of this circular walkway, there are restrooms available. There is also a pretty sitting area with benches in the middle of the area in front of the grotto or natural amphitheater. This is something to see because it is fairly famous, but if you miss it, don’t be terribly disappointed.
C. Either after you go to Fern Grotto or before, there is a turnoff that says Secret Falls. Once you get out of your kayak, the walk isn’t that difficult. There were quite a few people on this mini hike to a small waterfall. It is very pretty with a stream flowing by. This is a great place to sit down (on a rock), have lunch and just enjoy the experience. If you can, cross the stream, it is not deep but it is very slippery to the other side. Again, you will find mud and a slippery slope and hike. If you grab a walking stick it will be easier. It is worth it, though. You’ll find Wailua Falls, which is not unlike many other falls on the Hawaiian Islands and a nice area in which to go swimming.
D. After kayaking we stopped at what is actually Wailua State Park where you will find restrooms, picnic tables and a great place to stop at the Wailua River Lookout especially if you have just come from kayaking on it. It is a great view of the river and although it is far up you can spot kayakers on the river. There are many heiaus along Highway 580, including one here. You can read about it on the plagues that surround the “temple.” Remember, to look but don't touch.
E. From here we stopped at ‘Opakeka’a Falls where there is a lookout to these beautiful falls. Wailua and ‘Opaeka’a Falls were my favorites of all the falls on the Hawaiian Islands and you don’t want to miss them.
‘Opaeka’a Falls are 151 feet high and attempting to get to the bottom is very dangerous. I have mentioned in other reviews a highly recommended book called The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook (There are others in the series.) by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman. I have accused these authors of being careless in some of their suggestions. It is one thing to be helpful and another to help people hurt themselves and this is a good example. In spite of knowing how dangerous these falls are they say that you can walk in the stream to the edge of the falls but be careful because it is a long drop. However they go on to say elsewhere that getting to the bottom of ‘Opakeka’a Falls had alluded them for years but they finally found out how to do this and go on to explain how to get to the bottom. A word of caution: Hawaii can be very dangerous. More drownings occur in Hawaii each year than in any state in the USA. If you are hiking and adventurous you are going to be risking your life a bit, but in my opinion, attempting to get to the bottom of these falls is very dangerous unless you are a very, very experienced hiker.
F. At the Park, make sure you get a fresh coconut from the coconut man! He will be selling them from the back of his truck. You can get a young coconut that is very soft or a traditional hard shell one. (I’d recommend the hard shell.) He takes the shell off, puts in a straw, you drink the juice and eat the coconut – all for only $3.00.
My final thoughts:
As you can see, this State Park is not one entity but made up of many. If you can do as much as we did you will have a terrific day. If not, do what you can. Everything on Kauai is wonderful! The falls are gorgeous. If you can’t kayak, take a tour on the River even if you don’t want to get out at Fern Grotto, it is worth the money just to take this river trip. Obviously, in my opinion, the more you can do, within your safety range, the better.
Feel free to leave me a comment or ask any questions. Other Hawaii reviews you may be interested in:
Traveling to Hawaii on a Budget
The Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel
Aloha Airlines
Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast in Maui
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LahainaTown Maui
Hana Highway in Maui
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The Island of Hawaii - The Big Island
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island
Oahu
USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu
DiamondHead State Monument on Oahu
Polynesian Cultural Center,Oahu
Wailua River State Park in Kauai, Hawaii
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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