I visited ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls in Kapaʻa, Kaua'i, Hawaii [Hwy 580] on Saturday, 01/24/26, around 2:45 PM. This waterfall offered a truly beautiful and scenic view. Right off Highway 580, there was a convenient parking area where visitors could park and take a short walk to the overlook. Although the falls were viewed from a distance, the sight was still absolutely breathtaking and well worth the stop. I also appreciated seeing the Wailua Heritage Trail sign, which shared meaningful history and cultural background about ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls and the Wailua River Valley. It added a thoughtful and educational element to the visit. Overall, this was a quick stop with gorgeous scenery. I highly recommend pulling over to take in a piece of Kauaʻi's natural beauty. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Wailua Heritage Trail sign - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Although paths to Opaeka Falls are officially blocked off for safety reasons, you can view the falls 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. read more

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No longer free. The Hawaii State Parks $10 tourist parking fees and $5 per person fees have gone into effect with the majority of locations on Kauai. Whether you are merely going to view the falls from afar at the lookout or spending the day at Wailua State Park, you will need to pay this daily fee. The falls are beautiful. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Opaekaa Falls after heavy rains. - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

A small little overlook where you can see the falls. Has parking enough for about 8 cars or so as well as a bathroom. The falls is far so the view aren't too great but it is a free activity so it's worth checking out. read more

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It's a beautiful and easily accessible waterfall. It has plenty of parking and bathrooms. I've seen some folks disappointed with it, which is surprising to me. Kauai has a lot of waterfalls and they are all beautiful. This one has a nice overlook down the path and across the highway. There is a crosswalk and motorists are pretty good about stopping. I think it's worth stopping here even for a Quick Look. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Want to see a falls that doesn't require you to do hike? Well this one is for you. Witness this waterfall from a distance and let your eyes feast the greenery thats surrounds from it. This churning waterfall is located on the Opaeka'a Stream in Wailua River State Park on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. This is just a few minutes from airport so definitely you can make this a side trip. Plenty of parking spaces are available so parking is not a problem as people just come & go here. It's just like a lookout where you enjoy it in a shirt period of time. There's nothing much to do except taking photos and staring on the waterfall from a distance. Although if you are a hobbyist photographer you would definitely love this area. There's also bathroom available here making it a convenient place to stop to go pee-pee. Mahalo for reading & happy juandering fellow yeeps. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Brief stop right off of the road. Beautiful overlook of the falls. There is ample parking, restrooms and an accessible platform to overlook. A local told us to go further up the street for a great restaurant and access down to the falls. We were on a schedule so couldn't stop but figured I'd pass it along! read more

10/20/23 Another one of the most photographed & iconic places in Kaua'i: Opaeka'a Falls. Once again, a must see place whenever in Kaua'i, visit Opaeka'a Falls. Whilst traveling from the airport (Lihue) towards the direction of Kapaa & onward to the northeast part of the island, turn left on Kuamo'o Rd. It's at the corner where Hubby & I call Elvis' hotel, the now torn down Coco Palms. If you pass this old defunct hotel, you've just missed the turn off. It's about a 1.5 mile up on this winding road. You'll see it on your right where a bunch of tourists are taking loads of photos. There's a fair amount of parking spaces & also a restroom. Watch out for Foghorn Leghorn & his entourage/harem (otherwise the ever present prime time locals, chickens!). read more

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After visiting Wailua Falls this fall doesn't seem as impressive. The parking lot is far, so you'll be using your zoom to take photos. Parking is free. There is a restroom near by. I don't think it's worth the 20 minutes drive from Wailua Falls. You shouldn't need to spend more than 5-10 minutes here. Skip it if it's your first visit to Kauai. read more

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Pretty basic. Waterfall is at a pretty far distance, but it's a looker. GPS took us to the wrong spot as well. Not much to do here. You'll be done in a few minutes and then move on to somewhere else. read more

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Beautiful falls that you can see from a distance or take a hike and see closer. In the parking lot they have a ramp up so you can stand and surprisingly see them better (only about a foot or two higher than the base). There is plenty of parking. We went twice it was raining the first time we went and you definitely see them better when you aren't wiping your face from the rain! We did not do the hike. read more

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Beautiful place! Parking may be a challenge depending on tourist. The view turnoff coming back is also worth a stop. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

There is no real signs of the falls or description of the name meaning anywhere. The falls are beautiful without a doubt! read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Waterfalls are aplenty in Hawaii, however the scale and beauty of Opaeka'a was unreal. You'll find it off one of the main roads in Kauai, HI. It wasn't too crowded and there was a public restroom close by along with plenty of parking. I wish there was a trail to walk around some more but it was a unique experience to visit here. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Only 3 stars today for several reasons: GPS took us to the side of a road, with no falls in sight, and when we did find the parking area for the Falls, it was cloudy, far from the Falls, and the bathrooms had no soap or towels. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Falls far away - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

There is plenty of parking and only 10 or so minutes away from Wailua falls. Driving here was easy from Kapa'a. This was actually our first sightseeing spot after getting off the plane. I was expecting to have to hike down to see it like many of the falls back home in Oahu, but this was literally RIGHT there. You park the car, get out, walk a few feet and bam, waterfall. Granted the waterfall is not up close, but it was still beautiful and I didn't have to hike for an hour and get eaten by mosquitoes. There is a restroom located on premises as well. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Beautiful waterfalls view rt off the road that you can drive to if you don't feel like hiking.

Opaeka'a falls is beautiful from a distance. It was a dry sunny day so I don't believe the falls were in it's full glory but beautiful just the same. The nice thing about this stop is you also have a great view across the street of the wailua river valley. We were able to see the same river we kayaked down the day before from up above. Unfortunately you are not able to hike closer to the falls. But it is definitely worth seeing at least once if you have never seen it before. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - The falls from a distance. - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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We stopped by on the way back to the airport on our last day - it's a beautiful 151-ft waterfall that you can admire without hiking into the mountains at all. Look up on google map: Opaekaa Falls View, Kuamoo Rd, Kapaʻa, HI 96746 It's about 1.6 miles (4-min drive) from Kuhio Highway 56. It was a short 5-min stop for us, but loved it. read more

This is the first water fall we saw on our drive. I thought we would have a closer view but it was still very nice to see. Lots of tourists but a great vies! read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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This set of falls is across a small valley. More ribbons of water than a full waterfall. Very pretty and plentiful parking. Across the street is the view in the distance of the Ancient Hawaiian Village below on the River. Nice stop if you plan to see both the waterfall sites. We did. read more

Beautiful falls. No need to hike. Good for those with mobility problems or health problems preventing them to walk read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

This waterfall viewpoint is easy to get to with minimal effort. Parking is just a short walk away and a walk across the street are views of the Wailua River. This can be a quick stop on the way back down from the north. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

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Opaeka'a translates to rolling shrimp. It didn't take much effort to get here and it was a quick pit stop. We viewed the 151 foot double cascade from a distance. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

A sublime treat for all those who admire and appreciate waterfalls. This particular location boasts of twin runoff streams similar to Waimea Falls. A true photography gem with many vantage points to capture that defining shot of your visit to the "Garden Isle." A very easy drive from Kapa'a or Lihue, a visit here will be appreciated by all visitors of every age. Recommend you do what we did and rent a car to visit all the beautiful scenery and sites of Kauai rather that purchase a bus tour (although if you prefer not to drive through the infamous 2-lane "Kapa'a Crawl", then a bus tour may be your best option). Remember that after 1200, the roads are crawling from Kapa'a to Lihue (South), so if you're heading west or south, try to get going early in the morning. Coming back north to Lihue or Kapa'a in the afternoon isn't so bad. All in all, we loved our first visit to Kauai and hopefully you will too. Thank you for reading my review. read more

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Literally 5 minutes from the Fern Grotto boat terminal. It's a no brainer to check it out. GPS will locate the actual waterfall. Parking lot is 1/3 mile before on the right. It's free, the view is cool. You might as well check it out. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Another parking spot to admire those waterfalls from a far. A handful of tourists will hike down to the area and swim, but you don't have to do that to enjoy the scenery. If this is your first time to this island, keep in mind that there are very limited public restrooms but you can find most of them at a local park. The only downside is they don't have hand soap to thoroughly wash your hands during the pandemic. I highly recommend Traveling with a small bottle of hand soap so you can stay sanitized! read more

Really not much to see. Very easy to get to. I heard that it was not flowing much when I was there, maybe that is why (08/27/23) read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Beautiful hike right off the main road so there's no need to hike to view and right across the street is a perfect view of Wailua River. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

Went on a van tour, and one of our stops was the Opaekaa Falls. The falls are okay, but the observation point is so far away, that there's really nothing spectacular about them. However, when you cross the road and look down into the valley, with the Wailua River running through it....now that's spectacular. Definitely worth the stop, and great photo ops on that side. read more

This waterfall does not require and Hiking. Just a short walk on a Sidewalk. It was a quick stop as we headed from Poi Po up to the North side of the island. read more

08/22/2017 The 151 foot falls span 40 feet wide and can be observed at the overlook. The parking lot leads to a small sidewalk offering safe viewing of the falls. Another outlook is located across the road with views of Wailua River. The falls flow throughout the year. The name Opaeka'a means rolling shrimp. Long ago, native freshwater shrimp were plentiful and could be seen rolling down the falls. There are no paths leading down to this waterfall. State Park officials have installed a steel blockade for the trails leading down since 2006. From what I've read the blockades were put in after several hikers fell to their death. Such a calm, peaceful strikingly beautiful location. I'm sure the picnic tables get used in the parking area when the bugs take a lunch break. If you'd like to see this waterfall from the bottom I'd recommend taking a tour with Wailua River Guides down the Wailua river. Ask for Ryan. Once you reach the shore it's about a 2 mile hike in before you reach the falls. read more

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This was the hardest to find! We yelped then mapped it told us to park elsewhere. Much inconvenience! We finally found it on our own driving the main road. Overall okay. read more

Plenty of parking with a restroom stop here. You walk alongside the walkway by the falls. There was also a lookout that we drove by on our way in - I can't find the actual name of it, but it overlooked the Wailua River. NOTE: the chickens by this lookout are a little intense lol (there were no chickens by the falls lookout) read more

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We stopped at the scenic view, as do 99% of the people, to see the falls. They are good but not the best on the island or in Hawaii. The falls are conveniently located, just about 2 miles from Wailua Bay. Worth the drive. We asked if there was a trail to hike but were told no at the visitor center. Parking is easy and turnover is fast. Omnipresent chickens abound. read more

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This fall is easy to get to and worth it, if you're a fan of waterfalls. You get to see two runoff streams that allows you to enjoy the beauty of The Garden Isle. There's a small parking lot you can drive into, park and enjoy the views. No hiking necessary, so there's no excuse not to check it out. If the lot is full, wait a few minutes, since people don't stay very long. There are public restrooms to use if needed. read more

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After our tubing expedition with Kauai Backcountry Adventures, we began our tour of Kauai's North shore. Our first stop was the Ōpaekaa Falls overlook. This waterfall is visible from the highway...no need to hike. This is a quick stop to snap a few pics. read more

Opaeka'a Falls - Ōpaekaa Falls - Parks Near Me - Kapaa, Hawaii

It is a beautiful sight to see. No hike involved. Just pull to the right and it takes you into a parking lot. Walk towards the end of the path and you'll see the falls. Bathrooms nearby. If you walk across the street, there is a beautiful view of the Wailua River. read more

Opaeka'a Falls was very quick to get to, literally no hiking is involved. This is a great example of effort being proportionally equal to result. I guess it's nice? But really the waterfall is very distant and unimpressive. Have low expectations and you'll be fine. Or skip the falls altogether. read more

After lunch, we drove a few miles north of the airport and another few miles west to a parking lot lookout with views of the Wailua River State Park. From the south end of the lot, you can see up the valley to where the Falls drop 151' into the Opaeka'a Stream. There were at least two falls with a smaller third falls on the viewer's right. The view is generally clear from that side, but the vegetation on the north end of the lookout obstructs the view. I didn't notice any information about the falls or the park posted on site. There was a public restroom at the location for convenience. My only negative is that the view is from a distance and because of the chance for rain and fog, zoom photos tended to washout the color of the images. I did get better results once the sun burned off a bit if the haze, so plan your trip according to the weather or have patience if you are looking for that great photo. Review #2382 read more

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