Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls is a 3.2 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from October until February.
Kid friendly
Hiking
Nature trips
Walking
Bird watching
Running
Forest
Views
Waterfall
Wild flowers
Wildlife
Muddy
Rocky
No dogs
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, 2270 Kalakaua Avenue, Suite 801 , Honolulu, HI, 96815, Phone: 800-GOHAWAII, Fax: 808-924-0290
Please note that though this trail is moderate, it may be difficult during muddy conditions.
Directions from Waimea: Follow Highway 550 northward into Koke'e State Park. Turn right on to Halemanu Drive, which is a short distance past mile fourteen. Follow this road to the Halemanu-Koke'e Trailhead. (A four-wheel drive vehicle is necessary on this road if rain is in the forecast.)
Sun Jul 05 2020Views of the canyon are impressive.
Thu Jul 02 2020Great moderate trail! Not too much of an incline and just a few hours. We parked out off the Main Street and walked to the trail head, just 15 minutes or so. Takes you right to the waterfall with stunning views of the valley. Download your maps before you get in because there’s no reception. Kids are okay if they’re fairly competent and not too young.
Wed Jul 01 2020Did this Feb. 2020. Felt longer due to some mud which made for a slower trek in but the views of the canyon were stunning. It felt cool to be within the canyon and hiking to the top of the falls we had seen at a distance from the lookout points earlier that day.
Mon Jun 29 2020I hiked this trail in Sept 2019, parking was easy and had restrooms. The hike is fairly easy, but definitely wear tennis shoes or hiking boots. The views are amazing once you get to the canyon. Down to the left leads to a small pond and waterfall and then further down the larger waterfalls. Definitely my favorite hike in Kauai
Mon Jun 29 2020Me and my wife attempted to do this hike. First off Siri misguides you by saying the hike is to the left when it’s to the right of the road. Then what most people don’t say is you joke down a utility road for about a mile so those with a 4x4 you can totally take the road down to the trail head. I’m glad is is mostly marked (single track) but what most people don’t show is after the huge ledge. Does that where it gets hairy? It totally looks like it drops down a ledge for a huge feet. Didn’t make it to the water fall cause for us it stared to rain. Hope the next person who posts can tell more than what is spoken in these reviews.
Sun Jun 28 2020We drove our 4x4 Jeep down the the lower parking lot. Trail was well marked and easy to follow. Lots of great tree roots to use as stairs up and down the mountain, just make sure you take care not to trip on them. Trail is quite shaded, with the exception of when you go to the cliff. Trail could be considered kid friendly but the cliffs and water fall are quite high and super dangerous. If your kids have a hard time staying near you or away from the edge I probably would not take kids, especially younger kids. Trail could be slippery if wet.
Wed Jun 10 2020Very beautiful, great views of the canyon.
Sat May 30 2020was a terrific hike with amazing views. safe and relatively easy for those in shape.
Fri May 01 2020Awesome hike!!
Thu Apr 30 2020This trail is amazing and definitely can be done with active children. Short hike for a canyon hike with a great payoff. There is a swimming hole and great views of Waipo'o Falls. If trail is wet it can be slippery.
Sun Mar 15 2020Fantastic hike Beautiful weather
Tue Mar 10 2020Solid trail with fantastic views near the end. The trail was pretty slick because it was raining lightly the whole way. Since I parked on the side of the road and walked down to the trailhead, it took about two hours to complete.
Wed Mar 04 2020Great views down the valley. Very worth it. Took us 2 hours round trip from parking on the paved road, including about 30 minutes chilling at the views near there waterfall. Definitely need 4wd to get down the dirt road to the trailhead, but it's not a bad walk if you don't
Mon Mar 02 2020Sun Mar 01 2020Difficult with the mud, made it a long 3 miles, but totally worth it
Sun Mar 01 2020Shade, sun, beutiful views. Moderate hike and not too muddy. Get there early, cause it gets crowded. Dont miss the waterfall.
Fri Feb 28 2020Incredible views, must do canyon hike. The trail is a nice somewhat steep up and down, but the payoff are the views at the end. The first part of this trail just follows a Jeep road down to a smaller parking lot. We parked at the top just to extend our hike, but if you want to shorten things by about 30 min each way, and you have 4-wheel drive, it’s nice to have the option. Once you pass the parking lot, the trail is well defined. Lots of roots and rocks which act as steps on your way down. At the bottom there’s a small creek to cross which had a bunch of small logs laid across it, but we found it easier to just walk through it (Keens are great for it!) The trail was really dry in most parts, which I find worse than mud, because it can get slippery on the sand like conditions. So watch your footing. Once you get closer to the waterfall, you leave the shade of the forest and start to climb up to an epic view of the canyon. You follow the edge of the cliff around and down a hill that puts you just above the waterfall. It you go to the right, there is a short but steep scramble. If you’re agile this isn’t too difficult. There are rocks and roots to hold onto. If you go the left there’s a longer, winding trail that’s much easier. Both will put you right on top of the waterfall. After spending about 30 minutes snacking and soaking in the lower pool near the edge, we continued past the waterfall for about a mile along the Canyon Trail. This winds back through the forest a bit (narrow and less trafficked, but moderate to easy difficulty depending on conditions). This eventually puts you back on the edge of the canyon with more stunning views. It’s worth going the distance. If we had more time we would have continued the rest of the canyon trail, but the sun was getting low. Enjoy!
Wed Feb 26 2020Hike has a great view of the canyon 3/4th of the way. View of the falls is limited but you are able to see a couple miniture falls before the main one. 2 small stream crossings and the trail is mostly dry.
Tue Feb 25 2020Fri Feb 21 2020Headed out early before the crowds. It’s treacherous and slick going down but fantastic views at the end. Not too tough other than watching your footing in the mud.
Wed Feb 19 2020We hiked this trail today. Myself, my 13 year old son and my 66 y/o mother in law. It was amazing! We had a great trek and were rewarded with amazing views! This trail is hard and we had to cross 2 small streams. And the mud on this trail is super slick. There’s a lot of up and down and some fallen trees to go over or under. Bring a walking stick! No matter your age. We would do it again!
Tue Feb 18 2020Tue Feb 18 2020Well this is a great trail but just to share a week ago when I hiked it I slipped on the rocks and broke my ankle in 3 places —-ouch!! Grateful for the kindness of other hikers who had to help carry my back the 1 mile up from the rocky spot near the falls Be careful it is slippery when wet
Mon Feb 17 2020
