On Saturday, Sonja and I went to the Waikoko stream swimming hole, one of the shortest hikes to one of the nicest places around. Known as the “jungle hike” in the popular Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, it does however require a half-hour of driving on a dirt road, the last mile of which requires a 4×4. But here is your reward (don’t forget to thank your car):
Two streams meet just as they enter the pool, cascading down over basalt steps. The pool is artificial because it is part of a water diversion ditch system. Water is diverted from the Wailua river to the north, runs in a ditch through a tunnel to here. We saw some local kids at the pool who had floated through the tunnel on their boogie boards. A dam holds the water, creates the pool and channels into another ditch heading south (left in the picture). The trail continues along the ditch for a while, but we didn’t explore any further.
Are there any relatively short (but worthwhile) hikes in Kauai that I can take my 2-year-old on with me? We’re going to be there at the end of May and we all like hiking, but I don’t think I should take him out too far or on a strenuous trail.
Thanks for the information you provide on your blog.