Why this ride
Out of Waimea, one way: 30 km, roughly 57 min in the saddle. It goes by way of Waimea Canyon Lookout and Kalalau Lookout. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Road to Waimea Canyon
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 30 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 57 min
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Road to Waimea Canyon
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 28 km this is Road to Waimea Canyon, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 28 km
- Named road
- Road to Waimea Canyon
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Waimea Kauai
Waimea means reddish water in Hawaiian, and the name is earned: the river that gives the town its name carries a good deal of red soil down from the canyon after rain. It is a small, sleepy place on the dry western side of Kauai, strung out along the shore, with low houses, a few shops and cafes, and a surprisingly big place in history. In January 1778, Captain James Cook anchored off this coast, the first recorded European contact with the Hawaiian islands, and a statue in town commemorates the visit.
Read the complete Waimea Kauai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Waimea Kauai is where the day begins. Next is Waimea Canyon Lookout.
2. Waimea Canyon Lookout
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.
Read the complete Waimea Canyon Lookout write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Waimea Canyon Lookout comes up 17 km in. Next is Kalalau Lookout.
3. Kalalau Lookout
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.
Read the complete Kalalau Lookout write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
33 km in you reach Kalalau Lookout. Next is Puu O Kila.
4. Puu O Kila
The road finishes in a car park at a lookout, and the lookout finishes in a cliff. Puʻu o Kila sits at the high end of Kōkeʻe State Park on Kauai, at about four thousand feet, and from the railing the land drops away in one great fold into Kalalau Valley, a steep green amphitheatre of ridges and fluted walls that runs out to the Pacific and the Nā Pali coast. Even on a clear morning, a white cloud can slide in and fill the valley in minutes, then clear again just as quickly, so patience is part of the stop.
Read the complete Puu O Kila write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Puu O Kila closes the day.
Leg by leg
Waimea Kauai to Waimea Canyon Lookout
Waimea Kauai → Waimea Canyon Lookout is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Waimea Canyon Lookout to Kalalau Lookout
Waimea Canyon Lookout → Kalalau Lookout is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.