Waimea Canyon is often called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and when you step up to the lookout, the comparison is not absurd. The canyon is some ten miles long and a mile wide, and it drops more than three thousand feet, a trench of red, orange and green cut into the west side of Kauai, with ridges and buttes rising from the floor and a thin ribbon of river far below. Waterfalls streak the walls after rain, and in the early morning the colours glow.
It is an unexpected sight in the middle of the Pacific. Kauai is a volcanic island, and the canyon was formed by a combination of volcanic collapse and the work of the Waimea River, which has been cutting into the lava layers for millions of years. The red comes from iron in the soil, and the green from forest and shrubs on the ledges. Waimea means reddish water in Hawaiian, a name that comes from the river's colour after rain, when mud washes down from the canyon walls. The canyon walls reveal layers of ancient lava flows like pages in a book.
The ride up Waimea Canyon Drive is excellent. The road climbs from the coast near Waimea town in a series of curves, through dry forest and red earth, with viewpoints along the way, rising to cooler air and fresh smells of eucalyptus and moist soil. The surface is paved but patched, with potholes in places, tight curves and blind corners, and tour vans and rental cars stopping suddenly for photographs. Mornings are best, before cloud builds and traffic thickens, and the lookout is much clearer before noon. Rain can come at any time, and the road can be slick, with fog on the upper sections.
Wildlife includes feral goats on the canyon walls, and sometimes rare native birds in the forest higher up. The weather up here is cooler than the beach, so bring a jacket, particularly if you plan to continue to the higher lookouts.
Waimea and Kekaha on the coast, about twelve kilometres below, have petrol stations, shops and restaurants, so fill the tank before you climb. There are toilets at the lookout and sometimes a stand selling drinks, but little else.
Try to arrive early, stay long enough to see the light change, and keep an eye on the clouds, which can fill the canyon in minutes.