Best Time To Go To Waimea Canyon
Best Time to Go to Waimea Canyon
You can visit Waimea Canyon year round, and the canyon looks spectacular no matter when you go.
But depending on the focus of your visit, there may be an ideal time to visit this Kauai natural wonder.
Read on to discover the best time to visit Waimea Canyon State park and Koke’e State Park!
Considering a visit to Waimea Canyon? Be sure to check out our Waimea Canyon guide for all the details you need to plan!
And if you’re just starting to plan your visit to Kauai, check out some of the top things to do in Kauai, many of which you absolutely don’t want to miss!
Visit Waimea Canyon in the winter or spring for bright colors and waterfall flow
If you enjoy landscape and nature photography and you want the canyon colors to be the bright red and bright green you see in Instagram photos, you’ll want to visit after rains, usually in the winter or spring.
That’s when the greens are at their most vibrant!
After rains is also when Waipo’o Falls is likely to be flowing well. If you visit in the late summer or fall, Waipo’o Falls may actually be dry and not visible at all, or a thin trickle that’s difficult to see from the Waimea Canyon lookouts on the opposite side of the waterfall.
Visit Waimea Canyon in the summer or early fall for dry hiking trails and clearer skies
Planning to hike the popular Canyon Trail to Waipo’o Falls? Or other trails in Waimea Canyon State Park or Koke’e State Park?
You’ll want to visit after a dry spell so the trails are not muddy and slick. Although even the dry loose dirt tends to be slippery, it’s best to avoid wet and muddy Kauai trails.
Not only are wet trails difficult to navigate, the red Kauai dirt can stain your shoes and clothes. So if you do hike in wet conditions or after a wet spell, wear clothes and shoes you won’t mid tossing if the stain doesn’t wash off.
Summer and fall also generally tend to offer clearer skies for photography, although clouds can roll in any time of the year, especially in Koke’e State Park.
Best Time of Day to Visit Waimea Canyon
Visit in the morning for better visibility
Clouds can roll in and obscure the views from the lookouts in Waimea Canyon State Park and Koke’e State Park.
This is especially true of the lookouts over the Kalalau Valley in Koke’e State Park, but Waimea Canyon can also have cloud cover obscuring the views.
Generally, mornings are a better bet when it comes to visibility. Not very early, when shadows will cause your photos to be less than ideal, but later morning.
Pick a clear dry day to visit Waimea Canyon
It’s a long-ish drive to Waimea Canyon, and the views are the main draw, so try not to go on a rainy day.
Even on drier days you may run into brief showers, especially in Koke’e State Park, but if you are a little patient, you can get great views in between showers.
And on such days, you may even catch rainbows over the canyon or the Kalalau Valley!
Planning your Kauai itinerary? Also consider:
a sunset cruise of the Na Pali Coast ⛴️ 🌄
a guided kayaking + hiking trip to Secret Falls on the east side, 🛶 🥾 🛶
or an airplane tour over Kauai! ✈️ ✈️