There are many trails that you can hike into the canyon. It took us awhile to decide on which one would be best for us. We decided on a hike on the Canyon Trail to Waipo'o Falls. These falls are on two levels and are breathtaking. One guidebook calls this a family hike. Another book calls it moderately strenuous. My hobby is not hiking, but I do hike and I considered this hike difficult. A hiking stick was a necessity.
The way we got to the trail was by parking at Hale Manu Valley Road. Unless you have a 4-wheel drive, you’ll walk 8/10 of a mile (and you’ll lose 240’ in elevation) to the trailhead. We headed to what is called Upper Waipo'o Falls. There will be a pool at the base of this small, gorgeous waterfall. The pool is cold, so if you are warm you’ll enjoy a refreshing dip. We just sat on a rock and put our feet in and then headed to the second waterfall.
Hiking to Lower Waipo'o Falls was very difficult. We did see a few children but, my daughters would not have hiked this as children. If your children are great climbers and won’t get tired, they can proably do it. Much of the path is rocky, not marked very well (if at all), and very narrow. The path is not maintained by anyone. It is totally natural. You will be inside the Canyon with the orange and red strata surrounding you. It was magnificent.
When you arrive at Lower Waipo'o Falls, you are actually on top of it. It is a waterfall that plunges 800 feet. We were there during the summer months, yet the water was flowing heavily. Apparently there are times when there may only be a trickle. You won’t be able to see the plunging falls from this angle unless you do what we did, but be very, very careful. Even if you don’t venture close, the views are amazing. You will see a natural arch made of lava, for example.
Meandering on lava rocks, through and around some small flows of water, we made our way to the very, very edge at the top of the falls. I had never taken the risks with my life as much as I did on this trip, but it was worth it. If you go to the edge, which actually, once done, felt, fairly safe and secure, you can see the falls falling. You won't be able to see them all the way to bottom, 800 feet down, but you will see a good deal of them. This 3.6-mile hike will take about 2-3 hours.
Koke'e Museum and Lodge
On our way out of the canyon, we stopped at Koke’e’s Museum and left a donation in the box. It is worth a stop to see how hurricanes travel, pictures of the birds and trees you will see or may already have seen, depending on whether you stop at the museum before or after your trip.
If you are wet you can warm up in Koke’e’s Lodge and have some delicious chili and cornbread. There is a gift shop there as well, but the prices are steep. Unless you have an urgent need for something hold off on your shopping.
In Summary
Waimea Canyon and Koke'e State Park is a destination all its own. If you can do any type of hike into the canyon, I really recommend it. I never did go into the Grand Canyon because at the time my then 11-year old was afraid to go down. Don’t forget your camera, hat, sunscreen and bug repellent. This trip will be a good time to invest in binoculars if you don’t own them. If you aren’t mobile the lookouts are great, and easy to maneuver, so don’t let that stop you from seeing this gorgeous canyon. Have fun and be careful.
