Waimea Canyon

The canyon runs about sixteen kilometres and reaches around nine hundred metres deep, cut into layered basalt that is stained red and orange by iron oxidation - the colours are weathering, not different rock types. Its formation involved both river erosion by the Waimea River and a catastrophic collapse of part of the original shield volcano, which left a fault the river then exploited. Mark Twain is often quoted calling it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, though there is no solid evidence he ever visited Kauai. Waipoo Falls drops into the canyon and is visible from the lookouts. The road continues up to Kokee and the Kalalau Lookout over the Na Pali coast, which is cloud-covered much of the time.

What you actually see

• A canyon about nine hundred metres deep - and sixteen long.
• Red and orange staining - iron weathering, not different rock.
• Waipoo Falls - dropping into the canyon from the lookouts.
• The road on to Kalalau Lookout - over the Na Pali coast.

When to go

April to October; morning for clearer air. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Kauai's interior is among the wettest places on earth and cloud fills the canyon frequently. The Twain quotation is almost certainly apocryphal. Non-resident parking and entry fees apply at the lookouts. The upper road is narrow and slow.

Nearby

Kokee State Park is above; Polihale is at the coast below.