Waimea Canyon Drive Lookout 1


The first lookout as you climb Waimea Canyon Dr offers a good introductory view to the canyon, stretching to the east. Cross the road (carefully) to check out a little red-earth waterfall route cascading down the other side.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

2. Menehune Ditch

2.98 MILES

Little is now visible of Hawaii’s most remarkable example of pre-contact cut-and-dressed stonework, supposedly constructed within a single night by the…

3. Waimea United Church of Christ

3.52 MILES

What’s now the Waimea United Church of Christ was originally erected in 1847 by Reverend George Rowell. Protestant missionaries had lived in Waimea for…

5. Waimea Sugar Mill

3.6 MILES

The evocative skeleton of this 19th-century sugar mill still looms over Waimea. Pumping out sugar from the Westside, it fueled Kaua‘i’s economy until 1945…

6. Waimea Hawaiian Church

3.76 MILES

Sunday’s Hawaiian-language mass at this simple low-slung church makes an interesting way to connect with local culture. Waimea’s first Christian…

7. Hofgaard Park

3.79 MILES

This small grassy park at Waimea’s main intersection holds a statue of Captain Cook. Display panels explain local history.

8. Waimea State Recreational Pier

3.79 MILES

Flecked with microscopic green crystals called olivine, this wide, dark-tinged beach stretches between two scenic rock outcroppings and is bisected by the…