2013
About midpoint along Kauai’s west coast is the town of Waimea; situated at the mouth of the Waimea River, the flow of this river helped form Waimea Canyon, one of the world’s most scenic canyons, which at 3,000′ deep is often referred to as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”.
Waimea Canyon is also the result of a partial collapse of the island, which formed a depression, that filled with lava flows. Since the collapse 4 MM years ago, while Kauai was still erupting almost continuously. Over time, the exposed basalt has weathered from its original black to bright red, which is one of the hallmarks of Wimea Canyon, and much of Kauai’s land as well.
