The theme for this visit to Hawaii was rain and fog on both Maui and Kauai. We began the day hoping to get a crystal clear view from the Kalalau Lookout high above the Napali Coast. Unfortunately the prevailing winds were blowing the clouds into a thick fog over the lookout. We beat a hasty retreat back into Kokee State Park and decided to regroup. Since the weather was not cooperating in Kokee State Park we headed even further back down the mountain towards Waimea Canyon.
The weather was still a bit overcast but we decided to make the best of it and plowed on. Waipo’o Falls is the tallest and most recognized waterfall you will see in Waimea Canyon, you can’t miss it from most of the vistas in Waimea Canyon. After a short stint through the forest the trail drops steeply into the forest. We were definitely patting ourselves on the back for bringing our hiking poles (“sticks”) on this one. After 15-20 minutes you can make a short side trip to a vista point. It’s well worth the few minutes diversion to get a jaw dropping view of the canyon. Since the weather was socked in on the coast all the helicopter sight-seeing trips were in Waimea Canyon that day. Every 5 minutes another helicopter rolled up the canyon almost like a highway in the sky.
After the short diversion you continue to descend into the canyon until you reach a wide ridge line which appears to end the hike rather abruptly. If you keep plodding along the trail rather steeply descends and turns away from the canyon and drops you off next to a picturesque little stream. Go left and you encounter a beautiful fresh water pool where we encountered 2 Aussies enjoying a “brisk” swim. I gathered by the shocked look on their faces that the pool was not warm in the slightest. In retrospect I should have brought some trunks and swam it as well. How often do you get a chance to swim in such lovely fresh water pools on a hike?
If you turn right you encounter a series of cascades and the first big portion of Waipo’o Falls (~100ft). You can’t get a good view of the main falls because well you are practically on top of it. It’s unfortunate that many of these waterfall hikes end up with you on top of what you would like to see. The series of cascades are still very pretty in their own right. Well worth the short hike.
We continued to putter on down the Black Pipe Trail just to get some more miles in but there was not much of anything scenic to note, lots of downed trees and very little views. We then raced back down the Canyon to Waimea for a fantastic sunset on Waimea Beach.
Distance: 3.8 miles
Elevation: 1100 feet