I really enjoyed this hidden valley it's a nice walk down to the water fall. Take your bather's and have a swim at the bottom of the falls. The only draw back is you have to pay to enter but it's worth the price to see all the fauna and have a cool down on a hot day. Worth the visit.

Lots of different paths towards the waterfall with beautiful plant species from all over the world. Flora is all labeled and there are several places on the property to buy food and drinks. Additionally there are some gift shops and restrooms. Main path is paved and very accessible for all. It is less than a mile of a walk to the falls. There is also a cart that you could take for a fee. Once you arrive at the waterfall you are required to borrow a free life jacket to swim out and they charge to store your belongings if you choose.

We decided to visit the North Shore and this was an unexpected visit. We pulled into the Waimea Valley parking lot and walked up to the Visitors Center. It was $25 a ticket and well worth it! We walked the beautiful grounds and the pathway was all paved. The pathway ended at their beautiful waterfall where you can swim. I did not bring a bathing suit, but they had them for sale by the waterfall. I bought them and glad I did because I got to swim in one of the most beautiful places on Earth! This was an amazing experience!

Having arrived on a rainy day I was sad that I could not swim. Totally understand why. But after walking the grounds in the light drizzle it really was wonderful and I recommend if you can to do a rainy day venture here as well

$25pp for entry but the flora and fauna in this natural space is worth it. Educational and workers are clearly very passionate about the islands heritage. You have the option of swimming around the waterfall, patrolled by lifeguards.

Such beauty exists on this hike with plants labeled from all over. At the end, there is a waterfall pool to swim in that can get crowded. It’s a bit tricky to get in and out. The visit was totally worth the partial day we spent here. Got here super early so parking was ok - but it can be a problem.

We stopped here as part of a north shore island tour. Walk through the Beautiful botanical garden to get it the waterfall with swimming hole. Kids loved it. Easy hike. BUT the waterfall area was overcrowded!! We were there over spring break so lots of families. But i would do it again for sure

This was a pleasant stop. I would not recommend for anyone with walking issues unless you are prepared to take your time and to take a break here and there. There was some grumbling about how much farther the waterfall is from middle age and seniors. Plenty of seating when you finally get there. The cart is certainly an option.

You will need a few hours to explore Waimea Valley. We visited in February so it rained lightly on and off. Check their website for different entrance fee prices. We paid $25 for adults. Shuttle to the falls is available, cost is $10 pp for one way. There’s also a daily scheduled guided activities for botanical garden and cultural sites. The lifeguards make the daily swim call so call ahead on the day you’re going for swimming conditions. Arrive as early as you can. Important tip is if your goal is to swim in the waterfalls…with less crowd, I suggest you go straight to the falls first and then explore on your way back. We were among the first batch at around 10 a.m. but took our time hiking to the falls and by the time we arrived it was busy. Free life vests. You can store your valuables for a fee. There are coffee and snack bars and a gift shop by the entrance. There is also a bathroom and food stall halfway to the falls. Farmers market on Thursdays and it was the day we visited. A good day to sample and support the locals.

Quite a drive from Waikiki (1 hour and 15 minutes), there’s not much to see as we walked around for 90 minutes. There is a small waterfall, where you can rent life jackets and snorkel gear, but water seemed cloudy/murky so we did not go in and it was full of people in there. It literally looked like used bath water. The employees, like most Hawaiians, are beyond nice. There is a little food shack close to the water fall, which was nice. $7 hotdog seemed on the high side, but hey kids like it and it’s ‘23 so we are in the middle of record inflation. We only saw 2 peacocks and they were near the entry. We saw maybe 4 Cardinals, they were pretty and some other local birds that I cannot recall. The trail was pretty easy, no need for hiking boots or sticks. But it was just very boring as there wasn’t much to see or do. There are some beaches nearby, buts it’s Hawaii, beaches are everywhere.