Kauaʻi has more waterfalls per square mile than any other Hawaiian island, the product of its age and the rain that pours off Mt. Waiʻaleʻale at its center. How you reach them varies more than the falls themselves. A few are a five-minute drive, several take a half-day hike, and the most photogenic are reachable only by helicopter. This guide covers the ten most accessible, sorted by what it takes to get to each.
One thing changed in 2026: four of these falls now sit behind a state park fee, so a casual roadside stop is no longer free. To match a waterfall to the time you have, the comparison table further down sorts all ten by access, effort, fee, and height.
Table of contents
Table of Contents
- FAQ: best waterfalls to visit for…
- Compare all 10 (table + map)
- The 10 waterfalls in detail
- Know before you go (safety)
Related waterfall guides: Also visiting another island? We have waterfall guides for the Big Island, Maui, and Oʻahu.
- The best 6 waterfalls to visit on the Big Island
- 10 Maui waterfalls worth the drive
- Our 10 Favorite Oʻahu Waterfalls
FAQ: What are the best waterfalls to visit for…
Which waterfall is best for your situation? Below, we answer some commonly asked questions.
Q: What is the best waterfall to swim in on Kauaʻi?
When conditions are calm, swimming at Hoʻopiʻi is a popular choice. While a simple dip is usually okay, we advise against jumping off the cliffs.
Q: What is the best waterfall on Kauaʻi for families?
If you simply want to drive up to the lookout, Wailua Falls is the best for its ease of access and its photogenic lookout. For families that want to hike, we recommend Waipoʻo Falls in Waimea Canyon.
Q: Which waterfalls can you hike to on Kauaʻi?
Waipoʻo, Uluwehi, Waiʻaleʻale, and Hanakapiʻai Falls are all hike-to waterfalls.
Q: Which waterfalls can you drive up to on Kauaʻi?
ʻOpaekaʻa and Wailua Falls are both reachable by car.
Kauaʻi Waterfalls at a Glance: Access, Fees, and Map
Wailua Falls is a five-minute drive from the highway. Hanakapiʻai Falls is a four-mile round-trip hike. The table below ranks all ten by what it takes to reach them, what they cost, and how far they fall, so you can pick one before reading a single full entry. The map under it shows where each sits: nine of the ten, anyway. Secret Falls hides up the Wailua River and stays off the map.
Details and map locations below last verified June 2026.
| Name | Entrance fee | Note | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hoʻopiʻi Falls (Details ↓) | Free (park at Kapahi Park) | 1-mile hike each way in Kapaʻa; upper and lower falls | ~20 ft |
| 2Waiʻaleʻale Falls (Blue Hole) (Details ↓) | Free | Hard 5-mile hike toward Mt. Waiʻaleʻale; experienced hikers only, guide recommended | Not listed |
| 3Waipoʻo Falls (Details ↓) | $5/person + $10/vehicle (nonresidents) | Hike in Waimea Canyon; trail ends at the top of the falls | 800 ft |
| 4Hanakapiʻai Falls (Details ↓) | $5/person + $10/vehicle, reservation required | 4-mile round-trip hike on the Nāpali Coast; book Keʻe Beach parking ahead | 300 ft |
| 5Wailua Falls (Details ↓) | $5/person + $10/vehicle (nonresidents) | Drive-up lookout, no hiking; new paid park site as of February 2026 | 140 ft |
| 6ʻOpaekaʻa Falls (Details ↓) | $5/person + $10/vehicle (nonresidents) | Roadside lookout in Wailua River State Park; receipt is a day pass for other park sites | 150 ft |
| 7Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) (Details ↓) | Guided kayak tour about $120 to $150 pp, plus $5/person + $10/vehicle at the marina | Kayak the Wailua River, then a 20-minute hike | Not listed |
| 8Manawaiopuna Falls (Jurassic Falls) (Details ↓) | Helicopter tour only | Private land in the interior; the falls from Jurassic Park | 400 ft |
| 9Kipu Falls (Details ↓) | Kipu Ranch ATV tour only | Closed to the public; reachable only on a private tour | Not listed |
| 10Kahili Falls (Five Sisters) (Details ↓) | Helicopter tour only | Private land; a cluster of at least five closely spaced falls | Not listed |
The 10 Kauaʻi Waterfalls, in Detail
The following 10 waterfalls are our top recommendations for waterfall chasers on Kauaʻi:
- Waipoʻo
- Hanakapiʻai
- Wailua Falls
- Uluwehi/Secret Falls
- ʻOpaekaʻa Falls
- Hoʻopiʻi Falls
- Manawaiopuna (Jurassic Falls, helicopter tour only)
- Kipu Falls
- Waiʻaleʻale Falls
- Kahili Falls (Five Sisters Falls, helicopter tour only)
Waipoʻo Falls
Description: The 800-foot Waipoʻo Falls is the best family waterfall hike on Kauaʻi. The Waipoʻo Falls Trail at Waimea Canyon runs out to it across open, red-walled terrain, so the falls read bright green against the dry rock, and you get long canyon views the whole way.
Good to Know: The trail ends at the top of the falls, not the base, so you will not swim here or see the full 800-foot drop from the end of the hike. Look at the falls from the Waimea Canyon lookouts first to get the scale, then hike in for the close view. Waimea Canyon is now a fee site: nonresidents pay $5 per person plus $10 per vehicle, and the same receipt covers Kōkeʻe State Park the same day.
The Waipoʻo Falls as seen from a lookout along the canyon road. This hike described above ends at the top of the falls. Image: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Tor Johnson
Hanakapiʻai Falls
Description: Two miles along the Kalalau Trail on the Nāpali Coast brings you to the 300-foot Hanakapiʻai Falls. The hike is steep, often muddy, and slippery in spots, but it is the most adventurous waterfall on this list. The route itself, with its drop-off views of the coast and ocean, is half the reason to go.
Good to Know: You do not need a permit to day-hike to the falls, though the full Kalalau Trail does require one. Parking at the Keʻe Beach trailhead must be reserved in advance through the state park system: nonresidents pay $5 per person to enter Hāʻena State Park plus $10 per vehicle, and the slots sell out. Do not swim at Hanakapiʻai Beach. Many people have drowned there.
The 300 ft (91 m) Hanakāpī‘ai Falls on Kauaʻi. Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash.
Wailua Falls
Description: The 140-foot Wailua Falls is the one you have seen on postcards, spilling over jungle-draped cliffs into a wide pool below. It takes no hiking. You park at the lookout and the falls are right in front of you, which makes it the simplest waterfall on Kauaʻi to reach with kids.
Good to Know: As of February 2026 this is a paid Wailua River State Park site: nonresidents pay $5 per person plus $10 per vehicle, and the receipt also covers ʻOpaekaʻa Falls and the Wailua Marina that day. Parking is limited and fills fast, so come early or late. The old trail down to the base is closed for unstable ground, so stay at the lookout and respect the posted closures.
The Wailua Falls. Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Tor Johnson
Uluwehi Falls/Secret Falls
Description: Uluwehi Falls, in Wailua River State Park, goes by the local nickname Secret Falls, partly a holdover from the days before the internet kept any waterfall secret, and partly because it stays hard to reach. Getting there means kayaking up the Wailua River and then hiking about 20 minutes inland.
Good to Know: Because the trip pairs a paddle with a hike, a guided kayak tour is the easiest way to do it. Guided tours run roughly $120 to $150 per person and include the kayak, paddle, and a guide for the hike portion, for example this one from Wailua Kayak Adventures. The Wailua Marina launch is now a state park fee site too: $5 per person plus $10 per vehicle for nonresidents.
The Uluwehi (Secret) Falls. Swimming here is possible but it is not advisable to swim under the waterfall because stones can fall down with the water. Image credit: Joe Baz, source.
ʻOpaekaʻa Falls
Description: ʻOpaekaʻa Falls is one of the classic roadside stops on Kauaʻi, in Wailua River State Park. From a pullout off the highway you look across a green gorge at the 150-foot falls. No hiking required, which is most of its appeal.
Good to Know: ʻOpaekaʻa means rolling shrimp, named for the freshwater shrimp once common in the stream here.
Entrance fee: As part of Wailua River State Park, the ʻOpaekaʻa Falls parking lot now charges an entry fee. Nonresidents pay $5 per person for park entry plus $10 per noncommercial vehicle for parking. Your receipt works as a day pass for the other Wailua River State Park sites.
Hoʻopiʻi Falls
Description: Hoʻopiʻi Falls sits in Kapaʻa at the end of the Hoʻopiʻi Falls Trail, about a mile each way. It is small, maybe 20 feet, but it spills cleanly over a rocky streambed, and the walk through the forest is the kind locals do on a weekend. The pool draws a steady local crowd for a dip.
Good to Know: There is no fee, but there is no official trailhead either. The route crosses private land, so park at Kapahi Park and walk in from there. Hoʻopiʻi has an upper and a lower fall. Most people stop at the upper, so keep going downstream another 15 to 20 minutes for the quieter lower falls.
You can see what to hike to the Hoʻopiʻi Falls in the following video. Skip to the 2 minute mark to see the falls:
Manawaiopuna Falls (Jurassic Falls)
Description: You have probably seen this 400-foot waterfall before. It is the one the helicopter lands beneath in Jurassic Park, which is how it picked up the name Jurassic Falls.
The Manawaiopuna Falls (do you recognize them from the “Jurassic Park”movie). Image credit: Opacity on Flickr.
Good to Know: Manawaiopuna sits on private land deep in the island’s interior, so a helicopter tour is the only way to see it. Some tours fly over the top, others land at the base. If a helicopter ride is already on your list, it is worth picking one that stops here.
Kipu Falls (access with tour only)
Description: Kipu Falls was once a popular swimming hole and is now closed to the public. The land is private, and access was shut after a string of deaths at the falls. Do not try to reach it on your own.
Good to Know: You can still get to a waterfall in this area legally, on private land, with Kipu Ranch. Their waterfall off-road ATV adventure visits a private falls on the ranch and includes a swim.
Waiʻaleʻale Falls
Description: Waiʻaleʻale Falls, known as the Blue Hole, takes a hard five-mile hike (one way) toward the center of the island, where the water pours off Mt. Waiʻaleʻale. The mountain is one of the wettest places on earth, averaging more than 450 inches of rain a year, which is exactly why the falls run the way they do.
Good to Know: This hike is for experienced hikers only. Flash floods, high water, and an easy-to-lose route make it dangerous, and conditions can turn in minutes, so watch the weather closely. We would go with a guide. You can contact Kauai Hiking Tours for details.
Views along the trail to the Waiʻaleʻale Falls. The trail is hard to follow and grueling if you are not in shape, but the wild orchids, ferns, falls, and knee-deep mud add up to a hike you will not forget. Image credit: Taylor Boger, source.
Kahili Falls (Five Sisters)
Description: The Kahili Falls, or Five Sisters, are a cluster of at least five closely spaced falls a short way upstream from Manawaiopuna. Like their neighbor, they sit on private land and can only be seen from the air.
Good to Know: So much of Kauaʻi’s waterfall country sits on land this rugged that the air is the only way in, which is the main reason we will occasionally splurge on a helicopter tour here. Not every Kauaʻi waterfall flight passes the Five Sisters, so confirm this stop with the operator before you book.
The Kahili (Five Sisters) Falls are best seen from a helicopter tour. Photo by Jordan McQueen on Unsplash
Important things to know before visiting our waterfalls
Kauaʻi’s waterfalls are worth getting close to, and swimming is possible at several of them. A few things to keep in mind before you do:
- Please respect the posted signs. Even if other people are violating them, you should heed the advice of posted signs and warnings. These warnings exist because people have been injured or died in the past due to the unforeseen hazards associated with waterfalls (lack of visibility to see what’s under the surface, rockfall, slipping and falling, etc.).
- If you have open cuts, stay out of the water. Another reason to take posted warnings seriously is that many Hawaiian streams contain the bacteria that causes Leptospirosis. It can enter your body through open cuts and wounds. If you have a cut, it’s best to stay on shore and admire, even if it’s safe to swim otherwise.
- Do not drink the water. Bacteria can also enter your body if you drink contaminated water. Be sure to bring water along with you.
- Wear water shoes or secured sandals while in the water. Many waterfall pools have poor visibility, so water shoes can help prevent cuts or scrapes while in the water. It will also help you navigate the wet rocks, as they can be very slippery and sharp.
- Never jump from a cliff and avoid swing ropes. You may see locals doing this, but you’re not a local. They’re experienced and familiar with the pools; you’re not. Avoid serious injury by avoiding unnecessary risks.