Waimea
Waimea Canyon
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportExcellent video of the run here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fQe8ZBT3VM
FYI, the flow rate on this river description appears to be for the wrong river (Wainiha River near Hanalei on the other side of the island) Here is the correct one. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?16031000
Late Nov, 2019: Just ran this in packrafts at 200-166 CFS (200 CFS when we started and 166CFS when we took out). It took about 6 hrs on the river including some photo stops, cliff jumping and one patch on a raft. The hike down was an additional 1:15. Probably would have taken 4 hrs on the river without stops if everyone could read ther river and stay in the deepest sections to avoid bottoming out. At this flow it was mostly class II with 2 class IIIs toward the middle. There were 2 sweepers in the last few miles, but easy enough to get around. We probably had to get out and pull the raft about 10 times for a few feet when it widened and swallowed. It was great trip. Totally worth doing in packrafts at this flow rate.
Been to Kauai several times now and have also been trying to locate a whitewater boat here. Checked into bringing my own playboat and the costs are really steep. For a 30+ lb boat that is just over 6' long the UPS cost was over $400 one way from CT! Bringing it with you on the plane is more reasonable, but still expensive. On United you can bring oversize luggage up to 103' in length and under 100lbs for $250 each way. They said the boat should be in some type of bag. Still too expensive for me. Haven't looked into this yet but probably the best way would be to send it via ocean freight. Obviously this is slower and a precise arrival date might be hard to nail down. However, with a little planning this might be your best bet. Anybody have any luck finding boats already on the island? I'm going there in a few days.
I live here now and will be doing some leg work to get more info out there. Everyone I talkto here says you can't run it--we all know better. The trouble is getting the boat here I will keep you all up to date. THanks
So what's the latest on running the Waimea? Is it worth the trip? How many kayaks on the island of Kauai? Would it ever be possible to rent/borrow a boat? Anyone know how much it costs to get a kayak on the plane to Kauai? So many questions.... I really want to paddle the Waimea.