Kauai’s Wai Koa Loop Trail

I heard about this trip from another blogger on www.theproperfunction.com. Ever since I saw his photos I wanted to walk this trail and see this amazing place for my self. A trip to Kauai in 2017 with my family was the prefect opportunity.

Where is the trail head located?

The trail head starts at the Anaina Hou Community park. The hike is only about 4.5 to 5 miles round trip, mostly flat, green, and all around beautiful! I figured this would be a great hike for my mom and I to go on.

The trail starts immediately in huge trees of varying types in the Kilauea Forest. A little muddy but no big deal with the beauty surrounding you.

As you continue on the trail you pass through The largest mahogany plantation in the U.S. and it was pretty cool to walk through it. They are planted so closely together when you walk through them it feels like your walking through a tree tunnel. We took a lot of photos and just really tried to enjoy every bit of the walk.

The trail turns down a driving road and continues toward a picturesque view of Mount Namahana. At the end of the road, the trail forks back to the left and back onto a trail. You can see various types of plants and fruit trees and flowers.

Eventually you end up running into several ponds, some having little decorations in them, some had little docks, and most of the ponds were surrounded by large trees, and other foliage. You can stop here or continue on the trail to the best part of it all, and the whole reason I wanted to explore this trail.

The mid-point is at a beautiful garden, perfectly manicured, and artistically developed. There is an old stone dam behind the little garden, that was used long ago in helping transport sugar cane through the rivers. There are a bunch of little bridges throughout the garden, and small interpretive areas. The plants were colorful, and bright. The dam had water flowing over it at a slow rate giving a nice sound to the already perfect views. The garden was very calming and relaxing. My mom and I snapped tons of photos here and just kind of sat for a bit to take it all in.

After a while we decided to head back on the loop and work our way back to the car. My brother and pops were at the community park waiting for us to return to the trail head. We worked our way back seeing more wonderous views, and again walked through the mahogany trees. I highly recommend this walk, or bike ride to anyone who enjoys a little peace and quiet and beautiful scenery. Mahalo Nui Loa!

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” – Buddha