Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) Hike Guide
Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) is a fantastic waterfall located within Wailua State Park on the East coast of Kauai. In order to get to the waterfall, you must kayak up the Wailua River for about 2 miles and then hike another mile, crossing the river again on foot, to reach the waterfall. This is a great spot to eat lunch, swim or just soak in the beauty of the waterfall. Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) is not so secret anymore but still a great half day outing on the Eastern side of Kauai.
Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) Guide
Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 4 Miles RT on river kayaking + 2 miles RT of hiking
Elevation Start: 0ft
High Point: 250ft
Total Elevation Gain: 250ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 3-5 Hours On Your Own, Typically 5 Hours with a Tour
Difficulty: Easy What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?
Season: Year Round – Avoid this hike during or after a heavy rain
Directions to Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls)
Trailhead: Wailua River – Most People start/launch from the Wailua River Marina
Getting Here: There a variety of points to start this hike, but essentially you want to take the Wailua River for about 2 miles until you reach a small beach area on the right where you start your hike.
Parking: The parking lot is massive and can fit plenty of vehicles and larger trailers when needed. There are restrooms located in the parking area as well.
Guide vs On Your Own: Regardless of how you decide to do Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls), you will need a kayak. You can either bring your own, hire a guide and go on a tour that provides you with one + a guide to help explain the area, give you tips on the river and hike with OR you can just rent a kayak on your own. The pricing is similar for both the kayak rental + guide, it’s completely up to what you are looking to gain out of the experience.
If you are looking for the shortest amount of time, that is likely on your own vs a group/guide trip.
Summary
Dogs: Generally speaking, dogs are not allowed on this hike. Dogs are allowed within the State recreation but not swimming areas which removes them from being able to visit this waterfall.
Camping: Camping is not allowed on this hike or in the State Recreation area.
Hike Xfactor(s): The biggest x factor on the Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) hike is the amount of water in the river/how much it had rained the day before. If there is rain in the forecast for the day of your hike, be extremely careful as flash floods can occur in this area. Additionally, as you cross the river (during the hike) high or fast moving waters could turn this hike very dangerous. If the water is past your thighs or brown looking, I would not proceed on the hike.
Hike Tip(s): If you are looking to avoid crowds, I would HIGHLY recommend booking either a 7AM tour start or starting later in the afternoon (the later the better). We found that most people were at Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) around 10/11AM. When we got back to the boat launch, other tours were starting, but not nearly as many who seemed to start around 8/9AM.
Also, bring a bathing suit and towel to swim in the waterfall, just be careful about getting in and out of the water as the rocks in the water can really sneak up on you!
Best Views: The entire journey is beautiful from start to finish including the Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) itself. However, my favorite view of the waterfall was while swimming underneath the falls themselves.
Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike.
Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls) Route
Gear Needed
- La Sportiva Men’s Trail Runners
- Backpack (Summer)
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro 360, Drone
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