Kokee State Park, Kauai, Hawaii

“I like the mountains because they make me feel small.” Jeff says

“They help me sort out what’s important in life.” Mark Obmascik

Our ship docked at Nawiliwili Harbor which is just stunning with the with beautiful rugged mountains as a back drop.  Kauai is the oldest of the islands and they have dated some of the volcanic rock from the island back over five million years.   This is a beautiful island and the people have chosen nature over development.   They passed a law that no building can be taller that the tallest palm tree or a limit of 40 feet tall.   They do not want to take away anything from the beauty of this island.

We were driving around the island, enjoying the sights this morning as we headed towards Kokee State Park.  We stopped at an overlook on the way up and while looking at a very pretty view a nice local man heard we were heading up to see this park. He told us, get going because in about an hour it will be fogged over and you won’t get the view. He said early morning is the best time to view these mountain area.  We ran back to the car and took off to see this park after thanking him for the tip.

We drove into the Kokee State Park which is very tropical area being it is the heart of a rain forest.  This park has 4,345 acres. There are Norfolk pines, Koa Hardwoods, native plants loads of wildlife to see. When you get here, you have arrived in a totally different climate zone. It is much colder at this elevation with the breeze blowing it felt even colder.. Days here are cool and wet with periods of bright sunshine peaking through in between the times of clouds and rain. We had to put on our sweat shirts when we got out of the car as it was quite chilly but after walking we warmed up. They get 70 inches of rain a year here. The elevation of the fluted dramatic peaks is 4000 feet straight down to the ocean. This rain forest is right next to Waimea Canyon which I will talk about in another post.

We drove till we got to the Pihea Trail which is the parks flattest trail but still pretty strenuous. We strolled on the boardwalk which runs about a third of the trail making it easier when the trail is wet. We walked a short way and the tree parted and we saw the view of all views, Pu’u O Kila Lookout  which overlooks the Kalalau Valley. When we saw this view it literally took our breath away. Oh my, God creates such beauty on this earth. 

This whole area is the result of volcanic activity and erosion from all the rain here every year. Looking down on the beautiful blue ocean and prestine secluded sandy beaches with the lush green mountains that so dramatically reach for the sky and tree covered is something to see. We stood there in awe just soaking in the majesty of this view. It was still crystal clear and the view was nothing less than spectacular.

We walked a little further down the trail to get a feel for the rain forest and it was just lovely.   We didn't got too far as we wanted to get back to that view again. So we turned back. When we got back the clouds were coming in. We stood again in wonder and watched the weather moving in and covering the mountains. Spectacular even with the clouds coming in. We felt so blessed to have run into the nice gentleman who gave us the incentive to hustle so we could witness this mountain area in all its glory.

This was a wonderful place to visit and we recommend this stop for everyone. After all, Jurassic Park and many other movies have been filmed here. Can you just imagine the dinosaurs roaming this area?  This island is lovely and this site is spectacular. If you are ever on Kauai, you need to see this. Aloha.  Till next time.