Chapter 11- Dominating Landscape

The island of Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian chain.  And with age, the island simply gets better and more beautiful.  Kauai is dominated by natural landscape including mountain ranges and canyons.  The highest peak on Kauai's island is Mount Kawaikini, located in the city of Lihue.  Kawaikini measures 5,243 feet in elevation.  Although it is the highest on Kauai, it is only the 177th tallest of Hawaiian mountains. Mount Kawaikini offers tons of exciting activities including fishing, hiking, climbing and camping.

Kawaikini Summit

Mount Wai'ale'ale is another mountain range on the island of Kauai, which in Hawaiian means 'Rippling Water.'  It has an elevation of 5,183 feet and is located at the southeastern edge of an extinct caldera that is now a plateau called Alakai Swamp.  Wai'ale'ale is one of the wettest spots on the planet, averaging 450 inches of rainfall annually.  In 1982, an official record was set with Wai'ale'le receiving 666 inches of rain!  To the west of Mount Wai'ale'ale is Waimea Canyon, known as 'The Grand Canyon of the Pacific.'  The canyon is 14 miles long, a mile wide, and near 4,600 feet deep.  Waimea means 'reddish water' because of the erosion of the canyon's red soil.  The canyon was formed by a deep incision of the Waimea River arising from the extreme rainfall on Mount Wai'ale'ale.  The canyon has a unique geologic history because not only was it formed by erosion, but because of the enormous collapse of the volcano that created Kauai.  Waimea Canyon State Park contains 1,866 acres of land that provides numerous hiking trails.  It is also a very popular tourist attraction.  

Waimea Canyon