Search results for

From Cerrillos Hills in New Mexico to Kachemak Bay State Park in Alaska, hikers, campers, and outdoor adventurers will want to add these 13 best state parks in the West to their outdoor adventure list.

The islands of Hawaii are perfectly matched to a cruise-based vacation. These choice cruise lines do the destination best.

What’s better than touring a Frank Lloyd Wright house? Sleeping in one

Tacking a microtrip onto your Hawaiian getaway has never been easier.

So You Wanna Spring Break in Hawaii?

Overview

Authentic Aloha

This historic nature park has gardens, cultural sites, and a waterfall that empties into a pool visitors can swim in. Don’t miss botanical specialist David Orr’s monthly full moon walks, which showcase plants that bloom at night. — Hoku Haiku 59-864 Kamehameha Hwy., Haleiwa, (808) 638-7766, This appeared in the June/July 2013 issue. Read more about Hoku Haiku’s North Shore neighborhood in Oahu.

Often described as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, this 10-mile-long Kauai valley is a kaleidoscopic array of scarlet earth, verdant valleys, and raw volcanic crags. Bands of color streak the corrugated landscape, each representing a different eruption and layer of lava. Waimea Canyon Drive has a series of lookouts; among the most popular is Waimea Canyon (past the Mile 10 marker on Highway 550), where a number of rivers once cascaded down the gently sloping shield volcano. When part of its flank collapsed, the rivers combined with dramatic results. Continue into the mountains to explore Koke’e State Park beyond. Its small, free museum contains a 3-D map, which sheds light on the canyon’s wild beauty, while the gift shop specializes in local art, crafts, and Niihau shell jewelry.

Overview

Families gather at this North Shore cove—all golden sand and peacock-colored swells—in summertime. Adventurous types swarm the rocky headland—a riotous scene that resembles Where’s Waldo? or Richard Scarry’s Busytown—and jump into the ocean, despite warning signs. But in winter, they cede the ground to world-class surfers riding some of the planet’s biggest waves. Across the highway stretches historic Waimea Valley. Today it contains a low-key botanical garden, the ruins of traditional architecture, and a 40-foot sacred waterfall at the end of a two-mile out-and-back easy trail. Locals call it Waihee (softly trickling water) in dry periods and Waihi (purging water) when the pressure picks up.

Waimea Falls was once a kitschy theme park that featured cliff divers and hula dancers. Now peaceful nonprofit gardens reign here, alongside one of the best hikes in Oahu. The flat 1.6-kilometer (one-mile) trail barely lives up to the energetic label of “hike,” though. Instead, it’s more of a pleasurable stroll through a lush and thoughtfully curated landscape. Take your time and marvel at the oversize, bright tropical plants towering overhead before you emerge at the showstopping 15-meter (49-foot) cascade. Feeling adventurous? Take a dip in its freshwater pool.

One of surfing’s most famous sites, the North Shore churns out giant walls of water for world-class riders each winter. When the wave faces loom to around 30 to 40 feet at Waimea Bay, the Super Bowl of surfing kicks off. The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational honors the area’s first official lifeguard, a waterman who died trying to save his crew members when the voyaging canoe Hokule’a overturned in 1978. From May to September, beginners can book lessons and venture into smaller, gentler swells to join the Hawaiian heartbeat. Don’t despair during calmer periods: The bay still has good snorkeling and a popular cliff-jumping spot (signs warn against taking the plunge, but enthusiasts—sometimes dozens at a time—cheerfully ignore it, making for a dramatic spectacle).

The sweet smell of plumeria floats on gentle trade winds into each guest room at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. When entering the room, you may be surprised that floor-to-ceiling picture windows and a beautiful private lanai (patio) beckon you to step back outside—closer to the rhythmic surf and paradise in nature. In the hotel’s main building, each morning you can wake up to warm accent colors in your room that recall the previous evening’s sunset. Natural light fills the entire space and you can brew a lovely cup of Kona coffee before leaving your room to face the world. A 2009 remodel of the main building rooms along with a 2013 beachfront wing renovation enable guests to unwind in the comfort of updated interiors that still remain true to Laurance S. Rockefeller’s original vision.

In The Gallery of Great Things, visitors will find much more than “things” to experience when they walk in the shop. The actual building was a nurses’ quarters during WWII serving an estimated 50,000 soldiers who passed through during the war. Maria, the shopkeeper who founded the gallery, has filled her store with art, antiques, and curiosities that reflect the Pacific culture, history of the Islands, and Hawai‘ian lifestyle. She has endeavored to preserve the culture of the Islands through her work in the store and sells the work from more than 200 local artisans, including the best known Hawai‘ian artists. One walk through her crowded shop guarantees everyone will find a treasure—whether it’s a wind chime, koa wood sculpture, painting, or just postcard.