Kalalau Lookout is the place on Kauai where the road ends and the cliffs begin. From the railed platform, you look down into the Kalalau Valley, a deep green amphitheatre of fluted ridges that drops more than four thousand feet to the sea, with the surf of the Nā Pali coast glinting at the bottom. It is one of the most celebrated views in Hawaii, and when the weather cooperates, it is hard to turn away from.
The weather is the main thing to know. Clouds roll up from the ocean and pour into the valley, and a clear view can vanish in seconds, and return minutes later, so the usual advice is to wait. Many visitors arrive, see only white mist and leave, and miss the moment when the curtain lifts. The valley itself is remote and wild, long uninhabited, though Hawaiians once farmed taro there and the place holds old stone terraces. The cliffs are dense with ferns, native trees and falls that run down after rain, and the whole scene carries a feeling of age and isolation.
The road to the lookout, along Kōkeʻe Road past the canyon, rises through cooler forest of koa, ohia and eucalyptus, with the smell of damp earth and the sound of birds. It is a pleasant, winding ride on paved road, patched in places, with dips, blind curves and slow traffic, and rain makes it slippery. The air gets noticeably cooler as you climb, and mist is common in the afternoon, so go early. Feral chickens and sometimes goats wander the verges, and rare native birds, including the bright red iiwi, can be heard in the trees.
Kōkeʻe State Park, which surrounds the area, has trails and a small museum and lodge that sometimes sell food and drinks, though hours vary. Fuel and supplies are far below, in Waimea or Kekaha, around twenty kilometres from here, and Princeville on the north shore is similarly distant by road, so bring a full tank and some snacks. A warm jacket is useful.
Wait at the railing if the clouds are in. The view is worth the patience, and the silence when the mist parts is something you will remember.