Initially coming here to kill a little time before a reserved tour, my wife and I really admired…read morethe planning and execution of the building/landscaping of this family park. Named after a pillar in the community who came to Kauai in the late 19th century, Lydgate Beach Park is 62 acres, with the Lydgate Park pathway encompassing 2.5 miles, a small part of the much larger Ke Ala Hele Makālae costal trail. There is plenty of parking, with both dedicated surface lots and street parking on the paved road. We immediately noticed surfers on electric surfboards out pretty far, even on this windy day. At the northern part of the park is where most people gather, close to modern facilities and a manned lifeguard station and a large covered event area with plenty of parking. Closer to the shore, we saw a seal just lying on the land, bathing in the sun, completely ignoring the people milling by. The very large safe man-made swimming/tide pools are great for the kekei and others, with constant refreshing of sea water over the lava rocks. There are picnic tables nearby as well with a lot of green space. My favorite feature are the man-made protected swimming pools, What I loved about it was how spread out everything was, with so many amenities. It just never felt crowded, even if a lot more people came. As we were leaving, my wife mentioned that Lydgate Beach is one of those rare parks where an ocean-loving family would intentionally live close by, just to be near this park.

Two parks on one place! What a dream!…read more There was a wooden park that was large, had many different places to explore and separated by age interests. There were a lot of swings which my kids love and slides. Although one of the slides we found does a downward dip at the end that isn't very good for getting kids to come out of the slide. There is also an accessible park right next to it for kids that may need special equipment to play. But my kids enjoyed that play area just as much. The park is located next to the beach with lots of parking. There is also public restrooms which I don't use. I also saw many picnic benches around that would be great for a picnic or birthday party.

While researching things to see on Kauai, I came across the Kapaia Swinging Bridge. But it wasn't…read moresomething I found right away. It took me a while to find it which is great because that means not too many other tourist know about this. So the day we fly to Kauai was a holiday. As soon as we got the car, we headed straight to Waialua Falls. Once done there, we made our way to this swinging bridge, less than 10-mins away. It's in a small neighborhood. And parking was nonexistent. So I pulled into a business' parking lot and told my family to go look around and I'd stay in the car and wait for someone to tell me to move. But I got out of the car for a bit just to look around real quick when I noticed the sign on the business said they were closed for the holiday. Then I realized, that day WAS a holiday. And so I was able to enjoy the grounds with my family. And, no other tourist were around. Just a homeowner working on his surfboard. The surroundings are beautiful. Super quiet. Bridge was a bit shaky. And then I walked up the stairs at the end of the bridge where it took us to the church where there's plenty of parking. So if you plan on visiting, park at the Immaculate Conception Church. Yes, highly recommend.

We didn't realize it was down the road right after you take the turn, but it was super easy to…read morefind! Parking was easy. It was just the two of us which was nice to explore the bridge for a bit.

A small beach park in the Kapa'a town. I went to have a small picnic to myself here. There is one…read moregazebo with a bench. Nice place to watch people fish or take a walk. The parking has a bunch of spaces. I definitely recommend watching the sunrise here. There's grass and rocks to enjoy.

Nice long beach, has a nice trail for walking, running or biking. Beach is a bit grainy sand and…read morethe beach is filthy with debris of large pieces of wood, sticks, and old dry vegetation- you can tell the beach doesn't get raked or cleaned. You have to clear off an area for your beach towel or you'll be sitting on all the wood and crap.

Very nice if it wasn't consistenty muddy after rain which is almost daily. There are also too many…read moremotorized vehicles like ebikes, skateboards, and even smaller motorcycles on it. Nobody enforces the no motor signs as they all speed on the path. Someone will get seriously injured eventually.

An awesome walk next to the Pacific Ocean. Enjoyed every minute of it. Path is asphalt or concrete…read moreand easy walking.

If I could only visit 1 spot during my time in Kauai, I would without any hesitation choose Waimea…read moreCanyon State Park. Affectionately nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", it is easy to see how this canyon gained its affectionate moniker. Stretching 14 miles long, 1 mile wide and more than 3,600 feet deep, the Waimea Canyon provides breathtaking panoramic views of crested buttes, rugged crags and deep valley gorges. Even at the first rest stop you come across, you are already high enough that the view would have made the trip worthwhile. There are 5 rest stops on your way up to the top, each offering restrooms, trash cans, and their own respective viewing points; each stunning in its own rights. You can choose to simply stop at each stop on your way up like we did, or drive all the way to the top and work your way back down. Keep in mind it takes almost an hour to drive up to the very top without stopping. And the fog starts rolling in later on in the day obscuring visibility into the canyon. So you'll want to make sure you start your day off early if you're opting for the later strategy. For us, we started on the bottom and worked our way back up. We never made it all the way to the top as the fog had already rolled in by the time we hit the higher levels which made viewing anything on those levels impossible. There is now some construction being done for safety improvements and roadwork patching. Much of which is past due and much needed. As we started to encounter quite a few gigantic potholes on the higher elevations that often required either maneuvering around into oncoming traffic or traversing very slowly over the shallower parts of the potholes. We were quite thankful we were in a SUV because we were fairly certain we would not have made it past some of the potholes if we were in a lower profile vehicle such as a sedan or convertible. While driving the canyon is free (outside of parking), you can also splurge and view the canyon unobstructed from an ariel vantage through either a chartered plane or helicopter ride.

Beautiful drive up, and fabulous views. If you opt to visit one of the paved viewpoints you have to…read morepay for/wait for a parking spot. However afterwards as we drove on we realized we could get the same and then better views just pulling off at one of the many stops along the road without paying and fighting the crowds at the main ones. It was nice to have the bathrooms available, although no soap? Booooo. Still, beautiful area to visit.

Kauai is my favorite place in the world period. It fits my outdoor,water centric shorts and tee…read moreshirt nature perfectly. Over the years I've seen hundreds of waterfalls on the Garden Isle. Several I'll never see again as,it was a long impossible once in a lifetime hike However,Opaeka'a Dallas is easy. Right off a main road it takes little effort for a big payoff. I recommend sunrise or evening viewing for the best outcome. Take it in for your wakeup call ! * Yet Another Missing Review. I distinctly remember doing this one sitting in the car having my morning coffee. Now,Gone poof! That's a lot Yelp for respecting my work

Although paths to Opaeka Falls are officially blocked off for safety reasons, you can view the…read morefalls from a distance from the safety and comfort of Opaeka Falls Lookout located along Kuamoo Road. The Lookout is easily accessible by car and offers free parking and restrooms. This is a good stopping point before heading off to the much more well known and impressive Wailua Falls.

Beautiful. You absolutely have to take a boat ride down the coast if you are in Kauai at least…read moreonce in your life.

I'd like to be transparent, I'm a little bit confused about a few things…read more.. I had reservations made ahead of time to hike the famed Kalalau Trail 2 miles to Hanakapi'ai Beach and another 2 miles to Hanakapi'ai Falls. Upon driving to the Kalalau Trailhead, I entered Ha'ena State Park. I thought to myself, "oh, wow, cool, I didn't even know Kalalau Trail was within a state park!". Now, lol, after parking my car and reviewing the Kalalau Trail hiking guidelines, it was time to venture over to Hanakapi'ai Beach. Not even 1 minute into the trail, there was a clear sign stating I was now entering Na'Pali Coast State Wilderness Park. What??? But I thought Kalalau Trail was part of Ha'ena SP?! So both? What's the difference between Ha'ena SP and Na'Pali Coast SP? I guess the only thing to do is venture over to Google and search for the answer... The only reasonable solution I discovered on Google is Ha'ena SP hosts the parking lot for Kalalau Trailhead. But, once you start hiking on Kalalau Trail land, you're officially now entering and located within Na'Pali Coast boundaries. And with this info...I believe there are more options for activities within Ha'ena State Park, although I never got around to do any exploring. Now, if you're specifically visiting here for the Kalalau Trail, I'm convinced it's Na'Pali Coast territory, lol. Finally, trying to get to the bottom of this strange mystery, is when visiting Kokee State Park on the opposite side of the island of Kauai, most of the overlooks and lookout points there showcased the Na'Pali Coast. But I guess for Kokee SP, you're not actually inside Na'Pali Coast State Park land, you're just admiring the views and sceneries of the Na'Pali Coast from high above. Lol, yes...maybe I should have been better prepared ahead of time. With all this said...let me quickly return to the Kalalau Trail and provide a few highlights about the experience and what you can expect inside Na'Pali Coast State Wilderness Park... - While hiking to Hanakapi'ai Beach, a lot of the beautiful Na'Pali Coast setting will be revealed. There were moments to take a break from the trek to appreciate the landscape. - When the clouds went away and the sun shined, the coastline illuminated the Pacific Ocean waters. - You'll also capture a vantage point of Kauai's lush green island vegetation and rain forest appearance. In total, that's what I believe made Na'Pali Coast State Wilderness Park rewarding. It's hiking among nature until Kauai's colorful coast comes into appearance. The surroundings exude that vintage, tropical, Hawaiian image that tourists anticipate when visiting. At the time of visiting Kauai, I found it difficult to understand whether I was hiking Kalalau Trail within Ha'ena SP or Na'Pali SP. After completing some detailed internet research, I'm confident the popular hike is connected with Na'Pali. And with that understanding, Na'Pali Coast is a winning state park.

On our last day on Kauai, we stayed near the airport area and decided to drive up into the…read moreneighborhood in Kapaa and visit the fall and see where the road takes us. Initially we drove past the sacred temple and thought it was the neighborhood park. Coming back down, I saw the sacred temple sign and turned in. I didn't expect this. There's a small area with a beautifully maintained garden with the statue of Hanuman (looks like a monkey). While my sisters were exploring, my sister told me to follow this path as. It came up and walked through the bamboo tunnel that was called entrance to the First World. Very tranquil. And that's it. However, the temple itself is elsewhere that we did not have time to visit. I've seen other people's photos and it looks amazing. Free entrance and free parking. I would recommend seeing it for yourself.

Amazing stop along the road coming back from a hike. Very peaceful and spiritual. We did not…read morewalk all the way to the temple, just enjoyed the walk through to the First Realm. Enjoy!!!