Kokee State Park

We are awoke by the sounds of 4x4's cruising along beach and stereos blasting. The locals know how to get the most out of a long weekend too. We decide to take a walk down the beach before packing up and notice a crowd at the far end of the beach. They are watching something off the beach, it's a pack of dolphins! They jump and frolic in the surf, seeming to thrive on the attention of the crowd.

After packing up at Polihale Beach, we make our way to Waimea Canyon. It is suppose to be the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. We start out driving at sea level, and within 45 minutes have climbed to 3400 feet. The views don't disappoint. The vast deep canyon stretches out for miles from the road side look-outs. Dark reds, oranges and purples scar the sun baked cliffs. Small waterfalls and streams are barely visible from our vantage point. I'm not satisfied with the routine of driving a couple miles, getting out at every look-out, snapping some photos, and heading to the next point. Instead, we want to hike a trail and get some better views. We come across the Canyon and Cliff Trail. It was about 2.8 miles round trip and we found ourselves in the canyon on red dirt ridge. After an extensive photo shoot, we head to Kokee State Park to find our home for the next 2 nights.

The campsite turns out to be one of nicest spots yet. One thing we've noticed with Kauai camping is you can't ever drive and park on your campsite. There is always a parking lot, then you have to search for a nice spot on foot, and then pack all the gear to the site. No one site can be reserved (you buy the permit to camp there and it seems to be first come first served). Total hike: 2.8 miles plus getting in and out of the car dozens of times at boring lookouts with geriatrics