2 Best Sights in The West Side, Kauai

At the end of the road, high above Waimea Canyon, the Kalalau Lookout marks the start of a 1-mile (one-way) walk along the road to the Puu o Kila Lookout. On a clear day at either spot, you can see a dreamy landscape of gaping valleys, sawtooth ridges, waterfalls, and turquoise seas, where whales can be seen spouting and breaching during the winter months. If clouds block the view, don't despair—they tend to blow through, giving you time to snap that photo of a lifetime. You may spot wild goats clambering on the sheer rocky cliffs and white-tailed tropicbirds. If it's very clear to the northwest, drink in the shining sands of Kalalau Beach, gleaming like golden threads against the deep blue of the Pacific.

From this roadside lookout, you can take in the farms on the valley floor with the majestic mountains and misty valley as a backdrop. The dramatic canyon-like divide and fertile river valley once housed a thriving Hawaiian community of taro farmers, with some of the ancient fields still in cultivation.