Overview
About Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside
Why stop
- A short paved walk reaches rainforest falls and pools.
Heads up
- Swimming is prohibited, despite how inviting the pools look.
Map
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Road to Hana Tour Guide
Your drive to Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Road to Hana. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Road to Hana audio tourRecorded for this place
Puaʻa Kaʻa’s Rainforest Break“Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside is coming up, a handy rainforest break with small waterfalls and picnic tables.”
Plays as you drive up to Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside in the Parkwolf Road to Hana Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hala: Leaves for Weaving
- Hanawi Falls: A Passing View
- Upper Waikani’s Three Cascades
- Wailua Valley’s Two Views
- 48 audio storiesacross Road to Hana’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Hawaiian Monk Seal, Green Sea Turtle, Frigatebird, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 13 trails, 39 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside
An easy break on the drivePuaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside is a five-acre rainforest rest stop on Hāna Highway, with picnic…
Puaʻa Kaʻa State Wayside is a five-acre rainforest rest stop on Hāna Highway, with picnic tables, restrooms, and a short paved walk to small waterfalls and pools. It’s a useful leg-stretch if you want a picnic or restroom break with a bit of scenery. Think of it as a modest roadside visit rather than a major waterfall hike.
Walk to the fallsA few minutes along the short path brings you into rainforest at Puaʻakaʻa Stream.
A few minutes along the short path brings you into rainforest at Puaʻakaʻa Stream. The small falls and pools are the draw; this is an easy add-on to the drive rather than a hike to plan a day around. Rainfall changes the water conditions, and rocks around the water can be slick. For a photo, include the fern-covered rock wall and pool with the fall; a close view captures what makes this a pleasant rainforest stop even though the cascade is small.
Know before you goSwimming is prohibited here, even though visitors sometimes describe getting into the pools.
Swimming is prohibited here, even though visitors sometimes describe getting into the pools. The state also warns about flash floods and submerged objects, so treat the water as a view, not a swim. Restrooms and picnic tables are listed, but drinking water isn’t, so bring your own if you’re picnicking.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Road to Hana
10 sightingsHawaiian Monk SealMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
127 sightingsGreen Sea TurtleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
86 sightingsFrigatebirdMost seen around noonSighting map
17 sightingsRed-footed BoobyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
73 sightingsNene (Hawaiian Goose)Most seen around 6 AMSighting map
58 sightingsHawaiian StiltMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Road to Hana. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
