DO Go Chasing Waterfalls — Off the Beaten Path in Kauai

A quick Google search of "things to do in Kauai" will pull up numerous roadside stops where hoards of tourists flock to take photos. Though the sites are breathtaking, the conclusion of an all-day drive being 10 minutes of stretching outside the car may be underwhelming.

Many people advise that the best way to see Kauai is by helicopter. I would argue that the best way to see Kauai is by hopping a fence.

Wailua Falls comes up as #3 on Google's list of top sights in Kauai. If you plug Wailua Falls into your GPS, a winding road will take you to a narrow parking lot, and a scenic view of the falls from an overlook. Older folks might recognize the falls from the opening credits of Fantasy Island, an ABC television series that aired from 1977 to 1984.

This is, without a doubt, a magnificent view, and perfectly suitable for grandma and grandpa, as well as families with small children, or anyone who isn't keen on embarking on an eight mile hike to catch a glimpse of the otherworldly beauty of Kauai.

However, if you are looking for more of an experience than the scenic overlook provides, look to the right of the stone wall that guards the visitors from the steep cliff, just past the signs that warn "Hazardous Cliff! Stay back from the edge," where someone placed a plastic crate as a stepping stool on the other side of the fence. To those with adventurous spirits, the crate beckons, "Come this way. Many have gone before you and many will come after you."

Leave the crowds behind, hop the fence and enter the jungle. Ropes tied to roots and branches mark the way down the side of the cliff. Your stomach might drop when you look down into the tangle of roots and branches below you. Mine certainly did, and as someone who is definitely not athletic, I considered turning back and rejoining the tourists taking photographs on the ledge.

However, a group of local girls, probably thirteen or fourteen years old, hopped the fence soon after I did. They were barefoot, wearing only bikinis, and carrying inflatable tubes. I watched in disbelief as they grabbed hold of the ropes and, like monkeys swinging on trees, began making their way down the cliff.

"Hey!" I yelled after them. "Have y'all down this before?"

"Yeah!" one of the girls yelled back. "It's easy!"

If these little girls can do this, so can you, I told myself, hesitantly reaching for the rope.

I wouldn't describe the descent as easy, but certainly manageable. Hiking requires a certain amount of mental exertion as well as physical exertion. Making your way down the side of the cliff is like a puzzle, a challenge to find where the next piece fits. Should I place my foot on this root here, or on that rock there? And like many challenges, the fun lies in the journey, not only the destination. Though this destination was certainly extraordinary.

Arrive.

You've made it, but the hike isn't over yet. Take a dip in the cool waters (and snap a couple pictures, of course), then make your way across the rocks to the left of the pool to get up close and personal to this beauty. It requires a bit of climbing and a balancing act across a wet, slippery log, but if I could do it, you can.

The path up to the waterfall ends in a beautiful, moss-covered grotto behind the falls. Standing behind the waterfall, taking in its beauty and power, is like being face to face with a mystical water god. Spend as much or as little time here as you like. I found it to be like nothing else I had ever experienced.

I saved $200 by climbing to the wonders of Kauai rather than flying there. However, anyway you can get there, get there. It's definitely the trip of a life time.