Why the Waimea Canyon Is Better Than The Grand Canyon

It may not be a competition, but we know where we’re casting our vote.

We’re not here to knock the Grand Canyon, but calling Kauai’s Waimea Canyon “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific” is like calling Paris the Saskatoon of France. Sort of backward. Crazy? We’ll cede that the Grand Canyon is bigger, but with Waimea, you get not only the once-in-a-lifetime vistas, you also get cascading waterfalls, lush green foliage and vertigo-inducing views of the Pacific crashing into the Napali Coast. The newly paved road, relatively traffic- free by Grand Canyon standards, starts at the ocean and goes up, up, up, such that after 16 miles you’re at 4,000 feet above sea level. And you’re still only 30 miles away from the pristine beaches of Poipu. When you’re 30 miles away from the Grand Canyon you’re…only 30 miles to the Grand Canyon. Still, it’s not a competition, but I know where my vote would go.