Stretching 14 miles long, 1 mile wide, and more than 3,600 feet deep, the Waimea Canyon Lookout provides panoramic views of crested buttes, rugged crags, and deep valley gorges. The grand inland vistas go on for miles.

Waimea Canyon is dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” The moniker, falsely attributed to literalist Mark Twain, became popular after American explorer John Wesley Powell came to the island of Kauai in 1869.

Waimea Canyon is a spectacular gorge on the island of Kaua‘i with a unique geologic history. It was formed not only by the steady process of erosion by the Waimea River which, fueled by prodigious annual rainfall, deeply cut into the island’s extensive lava and basalt fields, but also by a catastrophic collapse of the volcano that created Kaua‘i. The central volcano that lay on the canyon collapsed 10 million years ago, playing a vital role in forming the canyon.

Waimea Canyon is best during the summer months when there isn’t much humidity in the air and clouds will not disrupt the landscape.