Aside from the Pihea trail, we were recommended not to miss this hike, at least to the waterfall as it gives a different perspective of the canyon and gets you to the only reachable waterfall in the area. The trail starts from one of the lookout points along Kokee Road and it gets challenging right from the start. From the trailhead, the trail meanders thru the forest for a little bit and then it goes down abruptly. For the most part, there are no views in this section but the tress are quite interesting with their twisted branches (especially to us coming from the Pacific Northwest were pines shoot straight to the sky). On our way, we found a sign for the Cliff trail and a quick check at the map told us it was a short path to a view point so we took the turn and followed it. The trail pretty much travels straight to the edge of the cliff and then turn north following the ridgeline. There’s a fence that prevents you from going further than what would be safe. But still, from that point of view, you can almost get dizzy when looking down towards the bottom of the canyon. We had an overhanging cloud so part of the canyon was grayed out at that point. After retracing our steps and getting back to the Canyon trail, we continued down to a small saddle and then started climbing again thru red dirt and big boulders. Suddenly the trees opened up as we saw the top of the hump.
Before we got there, we knew the views would be outstanding. Strangely enough, this area is as dangerous or more than the cliff trail yet it doesn’t have any protection at all. On one side that’s pretty nice as there’s nothing to interfere with the view but on the other, if you were to slip, there’s not much to grab on to. From that point I noticed a very interesting feature that left me puzzled. Right across the canyon, ay about eye level, there are some rocks that looked piled together forming an arch. I was not able to tell if those are natural or someone, at some point, placed them there. Towards the end of this hump, you get the first indication that you are closer to the waterfall as you can hear it in the background. The trail makes a very tight switchback and numerous signs let you know of the many dangers that include floods, slipping, and rocks falling.
It almost makes you question why you are there. As you get closer to the water, the vegetation changes and you are welcomed with little colored flowers everywhere. There’s a short foot path to the right that takes you to a point right above the edge of the waterfall but if you continue on the trail, you cross the creek and another path on the other side actually takes you to the water. There’s a big rock and a couple of logs to pass that section, but right after that you can see the water as it flows to the edge and quickly disappears into the abyss. Most people turn around at this point and head back but the trail continues and eventually connects with the Kumuwela Trail. We decided to explore a bit more and were pleasantly surprised to find another small ridge at the top edge of the canyon with expansive views all the way to the ocean. One thing I need to say is that pictures don’t do this place justice as there’s nothing you can use for perspective. The canyon is so in immense and deep that is hard to think you are on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
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