Location: Wailua River State Park, Kauai, Hawaii
Height: 151 Feet
Distance: Less than 1 Mile Out and Back Time: 30 Minutes to 1 Hour
Difficulty: (Closed) Strenuous (Due to Trail Conditions)
Season: All Seasons
Foot Traffic: No Current Access to the Base of Falls – Moderate to Heavy Crowds at the Overlook
Date Hiked: Friday, November 15, 2013
Opaeka’a Falls Overlook
Opaeka’a Falls is a stunning, 150 foot waterfall that flows near the Wailua River in Kauai. Kauai is filled with beautiful waterfalls and Opaeka’a is one of my absolute favorites. Opaeka’a Falls is seen by virtually everyone from the overlook, quite a bit down stream from the actual falls. This vantage is not the best and surely doesn’t do Opaeka’a Falls justice, but nonetheless, is absolutely worth the visit.
Base of Opaeka’a Falls
The honest truth is that the totality and true beauty of Opaeka’a Falls can only be fully comprehended from its base.
Over the years, injuries and deaths have occured here and although there was a trail with somewhat of an easement years and years and years ago, this is no longer the case. The area that accesses the trail to the base of the falls is on private property. Over the years the state has put a lot of effort into completely blocking off the trail. When I had hiked to the base of the falls in the past, I was honestly unaware that I was on private property. At that time there were no signs stating so. While I wish others could enjoy this waterfall, I truly believe that it is now best to just leave it being viewed from the overlook.
Although I do not believe the hike down is nearly as dangerous as some have made it out to be, it undoubtedly is best suited for experienced hikers. A major issue here has been with inexperienced hikers and people just doing foolish things. A quick google search will pop up a blog with pictures of people hanging over the edge. Not a good thing to endorse and just a bad, ego driven look. Even for those with advanced skills, hanging over the edge of a slippery waterfall screams ignorance. When you lose respect for the land, bad things happen and accidents inevitably occur. This is a huge part of what causes areas like this to be shut down.
Wishing there Was a Legal Way to Access the Falls
I have been deterred from visiting the base of the falls over the years, as I have not wanted to trespass onto someone elses land. I had envisioned that there had to be a way to safely and legally access the base of the falls. To my knowledge, I was wrong in that estimate. I attempted to hike from wayyyyyyyyy downstream of the falls and in no time realized that this was incredibly impractical. There was just entirely too much brush and overgrowth and the stream turns into a mucky mess, not suitable for hiking. Before attempting this, I also elected to try to kayak up Opaeka’a Stream and then hike the rest of the way to the falls.
This worked for a ridiculously short amount of time before I realized that my efforts were completely in vein.
I miss the times in which I was able to visit this beautiful waterfall. The memories will forever last inside of me and I am grateful for those opportunities to have visited this very special place. Without telling others what to do, I would just ask that people please respect the landowners and don’t trespass to access this area. Please enjoy Opaeka’a Falls from the overlook and live through the pictures of others for now.
