An amazing sight to behold! Go early, go to last lookout first and work your way back down the canyon. We used the Shaka app. Stop at Koke’e Lodge on way back down - we had a delicious breakfast there.

We read several reviews which prepared us for 1) wearing the appropriate shoes (not tennis shoes or sandals), 2) the trail is quite slippery and more vertical than expected, 3) the falls are small but there’s a hidden gem beyond the “closed” signs that’s a nice place to sit if there aren’t lots of people just below the falls, and 4) “go early” means before 9 am. We started down the trail by 8:30 and only saw 3 people going down. On the way back there were a lot of people coming down! Including stops to take photos it took us 1:40 minutes round trip.

Definitely a must do when in Kauai! Once you pay for one car park it gives you parking for all the other car parks along the way. Great look out point of the Canyon which is the biggest Canyon in the South Pacific. Keep going further on past the Waimea Canyon look out and you will get to different lookouts along the Napali coast which are also spectacular.

This is an amazing state ark! The best advice I can offer is go early. My wife and I got there at 6:30 am and did the overlooks at both state parks and we did not see a single person until we were through both parks. We then did the canyon trail hike and not only was the hike beautiful but we were the only ones at the waterfall at the end. It took us about 4 hours to do all of this.

First, let me say we took several Polynesian Tours while in Oahu and Kauai. The tour guides in Oahu were hit or miss. One threatening to leave people behind. Our last tour guide in Kauai was the best! Her name is Sabrina. She is a local. She was phenomenal. Being this was a whole day tour, that made a difference. She rearranged the schedule so us coffee lovers could get our fix, early at Kauai Coffee Company. Pickup time was 7:30 am! She pointed out the places to go/not go to eat. She also was very clear about bathroom breaks. This tour is worth EVERY penny. The places you see are so worth it. Spouting Horn is amazing, Kauai Coffee is neat, Waimea Canyon is simply breathtaking, Waimea Canyon is MUST SEE!! Koke Lodge is a nice, woodsy lodge and the swinging bridge. It's nice to have a local drive around d these winding, curving, uphill roads. We had a lunch break, where you got to choose your lunch from 2 or 3 items, it was ordered ahead and when you got to the restaurant you had time to sit, relax and use the restrooms. (A nice change from eating on the bus on another tour.)

I read on a review to GO ON A CLEAR DAY. That's exactly what we did. We got up there around 10 a.m. on a sunny, gorgeous day. By the time we left, clouds were engulfing the area. Like everyone else described, this is not to be missed while visiting this island. They had state workers making sure you paid a fee at one of the stops, which we thought was fair. The rest of the stops they expected you to pay the same amount, although there was no state worker collecting a fee; they had an "honor" system where you drop money in a box. Really don't mind paying at the one stop, but certainly not all the stops. We even got a slip on our windshield on one of the stops that had the "honor" system with our license plate on it telling us to go online to pay the fee. No one ever went after us, though. I think it was a scare tactic to get you to pay.

Don’t leave Kauai without at least taking this drive and stopping at every view lookout. The beauty is so mind blowing. The 3.6 mile hike to Waimea Canyon lookout is a little challenging when wet. Some steep trails in the middle area become slippery mud punctuated by crisscrossing roots. Definitely not for flip flops.

Take this drive for some incredible views of Kauai. You can easily drive yourself and stop at all the different lookouts along the way. We went in the afternoon and were fortunate to have clear skies until the very end when the clouds started rolling in. You pay one parking fee and that is good for the entire day. Be sure to stop at the Red Dirt waterfall!

Wow! Totally incredible! We had great views 2 of the times we went and one time it was raining and complete cloud cover. Just go on up the mountain and come back down to the overlook and sometimes the wind clears the clouds for the perfect view! Almost more amazing than the Grand Canyon with the lush green landscapes and colors.

Seeing Waimea Canyon was the primary reason we came to Kauai. Because we came to Kauai during the winter, the weather was a bit tricky. When we arrived at the first lookout, there was rain, which cleared but the clouds were heavy in the valley and we couldn’t see ANYTHING. Since we didn’t have anywhere we needed to be, we hung out for awhile and the clouds did thin a little and we were able to see some of the valley. We then drove to the 2nd lookout and it was more clear. We made our way to 3rd lookout to see the Na Pali coast. This location was completely socked in by clouds. Do not lose hope, on our drive back down to the first canyon we stopped at a pull off and were able to see the canyon and had a clear view of one tier of Waipo’o Falls. The biggest advice I would give is to not be in a rush, especially if you’re visiting in the winter.