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Wailua Falls at high flow
Location: Lihue, Kauai, Wailua River State Park, Kauai County
Stream: Wailua River
Alternate Names:

Height: ~80 ft.
Access:   car   dog  
Distance: n/a
Elevation: 200 ft.
Season: year-round
Form:   plunge
Lat/Long:22.03463, -159.3789
Directions:From Hwy 56, about 1.2 miles north of Lihue (in Hanamaulu), turn west on Hwy 583 (Maalo Rd.). Drive 3.9 miles to the Wailua Falls viewpoint.

Wailua Falls is the must-see waterfall to visit on the garden island of Kauai. Mainly, because it is the most easily accessible waterfall. Most of the many waterfalls on Kauai are either only accessible by helicopter or on private land (a big bummer), but this one in Wailua River State Park is very easy to see, well marked, and has a developed viewpoint.

Wailua Falls is a spectacular 80 ft. high waterfall. In normal flows, it is really quite pretty, dropping in 3 separate segments. In high flows, as shown above, it is a single massive falls. Wailua Falls is the waterfall that used to be shown on the old TV show, Fantasy Island. It is also where in ancient times men used to dive off (over the falls) to prove their worthiness. Let me tell you, I would not be diving off this cliff. But it definitely is a spectacular waterfall. The best time to visit Wailua Falls is very early in the morning before all the crowds come here, as it is a very popular tourist stop. But if you are here alone, before anyone else, then it is much more pleasurable.

It is possible to get down to the base of Wailua Falls. There is a turnout about a quarter mile before the main viewpoint (do *not* take the trail that is located at the main viewpoint). A sign there indicates not to proceed due to dangerous conditions. But there is a steep trail down to the bottom, and it is not illegal to go down there. But I have not been down to the base so I cannot comment on the trail. I have heard that it is very steep and could be extremely slippery, especially if it has been raining recently. You also need to cross the river at the bottom, which may be very difficult or dangerous if the river is high. If you do decide to go down to the bottom, please read my disclaimer.

On an interesting note, the height of Wailua Falls has been measured by state officials at about 80 ft. high. But in the Kauai Revealed guidebook by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman, the authors of that book claim that they measured the height of Wailua Falls with a plumb line as being 173 ft. high (they say they measured it twice!). I must say, however, that measurement is totally ridiculous. I have become a pretty good estimator of heights, and it sure looks to me that Wailua Falls is right around 80 ft. high. Certainly nowhere near 173 ft. high (and what man would willingly jump off a 200 ft. falls anyway). Next time I am in Kauai, I will be measuring this one for sure.

2 Miles S Wailua Homesteads HI (Elev. 203 ft)

Tonight
Scattered showers, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 8 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday
Scattered showers, mainly before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. North wind 8 to 14 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. East wind around 10 mph.
Tuesday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. East wind 8 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night
Isolated showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. East wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Christmas Day
Isolated showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. East wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday Night
Isolated showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. East wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday
Isolated showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday Night
Isolated showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Light and variable wind becoming northwest around 6 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
Scattered showers, mainly before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. North wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Friday Night
Scattered showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. North northeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Saturday
Scattered showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. East northeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night
Scattered showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. East northeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Other waterfalls nearby:

Secret Falls 1.07 miles
Opaekaa Falls 1.30 miles
Makaleha Falls 5.24 miles
Hoopii Falls 5.32 miles
Upper Hoopii Falls 5.37 miles
Kapakaiki Falls 5.49 miles
Kapakanui Falls 5.66 miles
Kipu Falls 6.20 miles
Kahili Falls 8.06 miles
Hinalele Falls 8.20 miles
Manawaiopuna Falls 8.42 miles

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