Published by: John C. Derrick
Founder & certified Hawaii travel expert with 20+ years of experience in Hawaii tourism.
Founder & certified Hawaii travel expert with 20+ years of experience in Hawaii tourism.
Wailua River
Navigable Kauai River
The Wailua River is the only navigable river in the islands. It begins at Kauai's heart and the wettest place on earth, Mt. Waialeale, and flows all the way to the ocean. Along the way, other smaller streams feed in. The river's many forks create several waterfalls, such as Wailua, a 900-ft double spouted waterfall at the southern end of the river. Kayaking is one of the major activities on the Wailua.
Near the mouth of the river are several large rocks with ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs. The river enters the ocean at Wailua Bay near the town of Wailua on Highway 56. There is an excellent lookout for the Wailua River just before mile marker 2 on Kuamo'o Road (Highway 580).
