Kōkeʻe State Park
Under $25Forested state park on Kauaʻi offering high overlooks of Kalalau Valley, native-forest hiking, and camping by permit.

Photo: Aaronbernstein, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Drive up from Waimea to the main lookout over Kauaʻi's colorful, 3,000-foot-deep Waimea Canyon.
Waimea Canyon Lookout, Kōkeʻe Road · Waimea, HI
Waimea Canyon, sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, runs about 10 miles through western Kauaʻi and is up to 3,000 feet deep. The state park is a scenic drive up from the town of Waimea with lookouts over the red and green gorge, a viewpoint toward Niʻihau Island, picnic spots and trails. After the 2026 hurricanes, only the main Waimea Canyon Lookout is open; the other lookouts, Kōkeʻe Road beyond it and all Kauaʻi camping remain closed. Non-residents pay $5 per person plus $10 per car, and Hawaiʻi residents get in free.
The closest stops to Waimea Canyon State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
Forested state park on Kauaʻi offering high overlooks of Kalalau Valley, native-forest hiking, and camping by permit.
4.1 mi awayMore like this
A remote, wild beach park on Kauaʻi's western coast, reached by a long unpaved road and backed by dunes and sea cliffs.
5.8 mi awayMore like this
A National Historic Landmark at the mouth of the Waimea River on Kauai, marking where Captain James Cook first came ashore in Hawaii in 1778.
8.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Hike the first 2 miles of the Kalalau Trail to Hanakāpīʻai Beach, or see Kauaʻi's roadless cliff coast from a boat or a helicopter.
11 mi awayMore like this
A Kauaʻi botanical garden and nature preserve in a biodiverse valley, stewarded by Indigenous caretakers and the National Tropical Botanical Garden.
12 mi awayMore like this
Historic Lihue building that now houses the Kauai Museum, with exhibits on the island's history and culture.
20 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums