Exploring Kauai: An Active Family Trip to the Garden Isle

As I packed my bags for our trip to Kauai, I threw in a couple of books and some bathing suits because I envisioned myself lazing on the beach. And, that did happen, a little. Our sons, who are both in their early 20s, ended up joining us on this vacation which tends to change the dynamic. They don’t mind hanging at the beach if there is surfing or they can toss the football or something. But, like young Labrador retrievers, they do better with some exercise. So, along with the bathing suits and books, I also packed my hiking shoes . . . and a raincoat.

Kauai’s average annual rainfall is 450 inches. Every time we pulled up the weather forecast (before and during our trip) for Princeville where we stayed, it predicted rain every day. That was accurate. I don’t think we experienced a day without at least a small rain shower. Sometimes it looked like 10 minutes of light rainfall when we were lying in the sand. Nobody even bothered to move off the beach. But, sometimes it looked like a downpour that lasted for hours. At the beginning of our trip, we were lucky to only have quick, light rain events and we took advantage of this mild weather to get after it! Opportunities for adventures of plentiful on Kauai. Here’s how we spent our time.

Snorkeling

Since we were staying on the north side of the island, and our friend (and local guide) also resided on the north side, the majority of our exploring happened here. Right away, our friends took us to a beach north of Hanalei for a look underwater. I have been trying to find the name of that particular beach, but I am not sure. Kauai has around 70 beaches, over half unnamed and all accessible to the public. Many beaches on Kauai have reefs that are easy to access from the beach. So if you have your own mask and snorkel (we did) and there are no signs saying it is unsafe for swimming (look for them - they exist), then you can jump in and see what you can find. We did stop by the Hanalei Surf Company and rented flippers ($18/person/week) so we were self-sufficient and ready to snorkel whenever the opportunity presented itself. Another thing to consider before hopping in the water is the type of sunscreen you are wearing. It has been determined that many sunscreen ingredients are harmful to the fragile coral reef ecosystem. Reef-safe sunscreens can be purchased in many shops around the island.

Tunnels Beach

When you drive the Kuhio highway along the north shore nearly as far as you possibly can in Kauai, you come to a large dry cave on the left side of the road and a parking lot on the right side. This is Ha’ena Beach. It is also a good place to park and walk back down the sand to Tunnels Beach. Tunnels is the go-to beach on the north shore of Kauai for snorkeling, for good reason. Like the first beach, we geared up and waded out from shore to an incredible underwater scene. I don’t know this to be a fact, but I would guess Tunnels got its name from the maze of underwater tunnels and canyons that are home to many colorful tropical fish. At one point as I was gliding along, I noticed my son excitedly trying to get my attention. I looked in the direction he was pointing and realized I was about two feet away from a sea turtle! This big guy was not the least bit worried about me and continued along in his Zen-like way. We saw a couple more turtles on our snorkeling tour of Tunnels Beach. It was definitely a trip highlight for me.

View from Tunnels Beach

Surfing/Swimming

Hanalei Beach

Surfing for me is a spectator sport. I tried it many years ago in Australia, but it didn’t stick. The rest of my family is more enthusiastic about it, so I knew a portion of our time would be dedicated to finding some friendly waves. Hanalei proved to be a great place to start looking. We returned many times to find decent waves that were usually a nice size for newbies. The challenge of Hanalei is that it is a popular location and there is a herd of surfers out there sitting on their boards waiting to catch a ride. Even if I wanted to try surfing again, I probably would have been intimidated by the competition. I did enjoy watching the others catch waves though.

Hanalei Bay

Secrets Beach

This beach near Kilauea was perhaps a secret at some point, but it definitely isn’t anymore. There is a long, slippery trail that descends fairly steeply to the beach. Like every beach we visited on Kauai, it is beautiful. The view to the south is of the Kilauea lighthouse, which apparently represents the northernmost point of the island. Surfing was a spectator sport for all of us here. The waves were fast and steep and broke close to shore - not beginner (or even intermediate) surfer friendly.

Secrets Beach

Hiking

Waimea Canyon

Some pre-trip advice we had gotten was to take advantage of decent weather to go hiking in Waimea Canyon. I believe the words were, “If you wake up and it isn’t raining, head to Waimea Canyon.” And, we did just that very early in our trip. It takes around 2 hours to drive from where we were staying in Princeville (on the north shore) to Waimea Canyon (on the west shore). There are many and varied hikes to choose from there, and we opted for the Waipo’o Falls-Black Pipe loop. The distance is around 4-5 miles and the trails are in good shape with a fair amount of up and down. The best part of this hike for us was the view we got once we reached the top of the ridge. It was stunning! The waterfalls were small, but lovely. We veered off the main path on the return trip when we found the spur to the Black Pipe trail and were rewarded with having the trail to ourselves. Before heading back to the north shore, we drove to the top of Waimea Canyon Drive for more spectacular views at the overlooks. If you are seeking a little less up and down, there are opportunities for shorter hikes at the overlooks.

Na Pali Coast

There are a few ways to experience the Na Pali Coast - by helicopter, by boat or on foot. This is rugged roadless terrain. We opted for the third choice and hiked in from the north side. Reservations are required for Ha’ena State Park (and it is recommended you make them up to 90 days in advance during peak season) which gives access to the beautiful Ke’e beach and is the trailhead for the Kalalau Trail. The Kalalau Trail is a 22 mile roundtrip hike that is typically done in its entirety as a backpack camping trip (permit required). Or you can do part of the trail by hiking 2 miles in to Hanakapi’ai Beach and if you choose, you can take the spur trail for another 2 miles up to Hanakapi’ai Falls. This seemed a more reasonable alternative to us. It is a solid 8 mile roundtrip, especially the section up to the waterfalls. The trail is rugged and rocky. I was thankful for the gym class I have been attending regularly that has forced me to step up on tall boxes because this trail was full of that motion. There are muddy sections, a fair amount of climbs and descents, and multiple creek crossings that either required hopping from rock to rock or trudging through the creek and getting your shoes soaking wet. The important part though is that the waterfall was well worth it! The waterfall itself is tall and the pool in front of it was very inviting. We got sweaty on the hike and that cool, clear water was incredibly refreshing. Swimming under the pounding water of the falls was a crazy experience as well. One nice benefit of this hike is that there is perfect water for a refreshing swim at each end and we were able to jump in the ocean at Ke’e beach before walking back to the parking lot.

Golf/Mini Golf

Kauai Miniature Golf and Botanical Garden

The entire time we were in Kauai, the daily forecast called for rain and the island was bracing for a big storm. Lucky for us, the rain we experienced early in the week was pretty minor - showers here and there. One day we woke up to rain for most of the morning, so when it let up in the afternoon, we hustled to the nearby Kauai Miniature Golf and Botanical Garden. We had a lot of fun putting our way through this beautiful mini golf course. There is a bar onsite and in the evening there is live music and great pizza!

Kukuiolono Golf Course

Our sons were hoping to play a round of golf (Kauai has many courses) and found a course to match their golfing style, i.e. inexpensive public par 3 course ($15 fees). Kukuiolono Golf Course was on the other side of the island and the maps app was telling us it would take about 2 hours to drive there. So, one morning we set off in that direction, but the rains came down and when we called the golf course to see how the weather was there, no one ever answered the phone. We took it as a sign not to drive the distance and tried to go thrifting instead. We struck out there too. Everything was closed in anticipation of the big storm heading in.

Farmers’ Markets

I think visiting farmers’ markets can be an adventure in its own way. There are plenty of exotic fruits and veggies to try if you are brave enough to do so. The Kauai Miniature Golf and Botanical Garden property is also the site of a great farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. We had some delicious finds for our breakfast and taste-tested the interesting soursop fruit. One word of caution: we discovered that just because a place is said to have a weekly market, it doesn’t mean it will be running even if you drive an hour to go to it.

In the end, I didn’t spend nearly as much time with my books as I thought I would and I’m okay with that. Kauai had other plans for us, and they turned out to be even better. Between the rain showers and the adventures, it was the kind of trip that left us happily exhausted at the end of each day. Not exactly the beach vacation I had envisioned, but exactly what made it so memorable.

And as a travel planner, it’s a great reminder that sometimes the best trips aren’t perfectly predictable; they’re built to make the most of every moment, rain or shine. Reach out if you are ready to plan your next trip. I can help you find the right “adventure” that suits you.

For more Kauai travel inspiration, click here.