Overview
About Wailua Valley State Wayside
Why stop
- The raised viewpoint gives you coast and inland valley views in one stop.
Heads up
- Parking is limited, and stairs are required to reach the lookout.
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 Wailua Valley 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
Wailua Valley’s Two Views“Up ahead is Wailua Valley State Wayside, a quick lookout stop that's worth getting out for.”
Plays as you drive up to Wailua Valley State Wayside in the Parkwolf Road to Hana Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Upper Waikani’s Three Cascades
- Halfway to Hāna’s Roadside Snacks
- Hala: Leaves for Weaving
- Keʻanae Arboretum’s Rainbow Bark
- 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 Wailua Valley State Wayside
Take the stairsWailua Valley State Wayside is a small, 1.5-acre lookout on Hāna Highway above Wailua Village.
Wailua Valley State Wayside is a small, 1.5-acre lookout on Hāna Highway above Wailua Village. It’s a quick stop, but the raised platform gives you two very different views: village and taro fields toward the coast, then Keʻanae Valley and the Koʻolau Gap when you turn around. Get out and climb the stairs; the inland view is easy to miss from the car. I’d stop for a short leg stretch and a look at the landscape, not for a long walk.
Look both waysToward the coast, look down across Wailua’s fields and houses to the water.
Toward the coast, look down across Wailua’s fields and houses to the water. Turn inland for the green valley and ridges; distant waterfalls can show after rain, but clouds can hide them. For a photo, include a little foreground greenery to give the wide view some depth.
Keep it a short stopThe wayside is near mile marker 18.9, with limited parking, so plan for a quick visit.
The wayside is near mile marker 18.9, with limited parking, so plan for a quick visit. Stairs lead to the lookout. Bring water: none is available here, and there’s no confirmed public restroom at the wayside, so make a stop elsewhere if you need one.
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.
