Kipu Falls

I would give it 5 stars if you could still GO! They have closed this off to the public (supposedly).
Such sad news. Each time I go to Kauai I will check again to see if there is some way to revisit this wonderful spot. I have added a couple pictures so you can see what you missed.

Kipu is closed. The banyan tree where the rope swung from has been cut.
RIP Kipu Falls. I hardly knew ye.

First of all… lawyers don’t file lawsuits… people hire them to file them. Too bad stupid people file suit against landowners after they have tresspassed on thier property and done something tragically stupid.
This is (was) a beautiful place to visit. Although the reviews that mention trash and trashy are also right. We were carefull to always ask the locals about the conditions and watch them first.

Thanks to injuries and the damn lawyers filing lawsuits, the property owner of the path to the waterfalls has blocked access with a new fence. Glad we got the chance to jump and swing. It was incredible.
Grove Farm cites lawsuits, deadly accidents
Land company blocks access to popular waterfall
Vanessa Van Voorhis — The Garden Island The Garden Island | Posted: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 11:40 pm
Dennis Fujimoto/​The Garden Island
Fence posts are set in and green debris clogs the trail head leading to Kipu Falls, Wednesday.
…PUHI — For generations locals and visitors have enjoyed Puhi’s relatively hidden Kipu Falls, with its deep pool ideal for swimming, its rock ledge for diving and its popular rope swing.
Access to the falls has traditionally meant hiking across land owned by Grove Farm. The land management and community development company announced Wednesday that it has begun building a fence that will block access to the falls from Grove Farm land.
«The extremely difficult decision to fence off access to Kipu Falls was made following several lawsuits being filed against Grove Farm Company,» Grove Farm officials said in a news release. Grove Farm spokeswoman Marissa Sandblom said she could not comment further about the lawsuits other than they were initiated by persons injured at Kipu Falls.
In addition to installing an eight-​foot high, 775-​foot long chain-​link fence topped with barbed wire and more «private property» and «no trespassing» signage, Grove Farm is placing boulders alongside the road to block access for parking. Vehicles parked illegally along the road will be towed at the owner’s expense. Off-​duty police officers have been hired to patrol the area.
«We don’t enjoy putting up this fence but there have been too many accidents and tragedies at the site,» Grove Farm President and CEO Warren Haruki said in a written statement. «Everyone who has visited Kipu Falls without permission has trespassed on private property. Many attempts to change guidebook language and to dissuade people unfamiliar with the area have not been heeded, and we have decided to restrict access to the site.»
Haruki added, «In many ways, this is very similar to the closings of the popular Waipahee Slippery Slides near Anahola and the Kilauea Slide. In both of those prior cases, similar concerns about safety and injuries led to their eventual closures.»
Sandblom said Grove Farm explored «a whole slew of alternatives» to blocking access, such as conveying the area to Kaua’i County for a park, «but they didn’t want to do that because of liability issues.»
Dr. Monty Downs, an emergency room doctor at Wilcox Memorial Hospital, said there has been a «huge crescendo» in deaths and injuries at Kipu Falls during the last 10 to 15 years. Five people have died at the falls during the last five years alone; all the deaths were male visitors, he said.
«We commend Grove Farm for taking the initiative to do what it is doing,» said Downs, who is also a member of the Kaua’i Water Safety Task Force. «I’ve seen too many tragedies come through the emergency room over the years to turn a blind eye to what has been going on.»
Downs recalled «a beautiful 18-​year-​old volleyball star from California» who was rendered a quadriplegic from injuries at the falls.
Most recently, a 32-​year-​old man from Irvine, Calif., died on June 25 when, according to witnesses and county officials, he jumped off the top of the falls into the pool below, began swimming across the pool toward the shore, suddenly went under and did not resurface.
«I will be very saddened that yet another special area is to be taken away from local people, who may enjoy spending time there,» Downs said. «But Kipu Falls is no place for visitors, they don’t have the background to recognize the dangers and risks, and they have been getting killed or injured far too regularly … Neither I nor Grove Farm can figure out a way to have Kipu Falls be accessible to the local people only, it’s just too tempting for visitors to want to get in on the exotic ‘local experience.’ So, with a respectful nod to a significant segment of our local people, it’s clear in my mind that the benefit of taking away access to the area outweighs the downside of it.»
Sandblom emphasized that the decision to block access was not made lightly and expressed hope that the community will understand the decision was one of necessity.
Grove Farm is sending a notice to guidebook publishers informing them of the blocked access.
Sandblom said the owners of Grove Farm’s neighboring property, Rice Ranch, will be monitoring their property frequently for trespassers attempting access to Kipu Falls.
* Vanessa Van Voorhis, staff writer, can be reached at 245‑3681 (ext. 251) or by emailing
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We jumped off the face of the cliff at Kipu 2 years ago. It was really, really fun. But if I had known how dangerous it was, there was no way I would have done it or let my kids do it (even though we are very strong swimmers). Earlier Unilocal poster Darlene C said she had to be rescued!
5 people have died in 5 years.
A teenage girl is paralyzed for life, in a wheelchair

A few minutes of fun is not worth becoming a statistic.
Evidently, the local ER docs see weekly injuries…

I found out about this place when a local told me, «This is my favorite spot on the island. When I moved here, THIS is the place that really made me feel like I was in Hawaii» Here you can Jump off a 20 ft waterfall or rope swing into a deep swimming hole!
By far one of the best things I did while in Kauai. One of the things on my To Do list in Kauai was to find a waterfall and jump off of it. Well, this is the perfect place to do just that. Finding this place is part of the fun of it. From Lihu’e, drive west on the 50. Turn left on Kipu Road (at the 3-​mile marker, about a mile west of Puhi). After about a quarter mile, turn right at the fork in the road. Follow this narrow paved road to the dirt pullouts (parking) just before the bridge. There will probably be other cars there. The only other thing you will see is lots of tall grass. From what I remember there was only really one trail you can go on. The trail is pretty over grown with tall grass at some parts, but just keep walking on the small path and it will open up to revel the best natural swimming hole I have ever seen. The trail is pretty mild and I was able to do it in flip flops no problem.

The water was a bit brown and murky when I was there in July, but that wasn’t enough to stop me from going in. You can walk right to the edge of the waterfall and jump in. I’m not sure exactly how deep it is there, but I didn’t touch anything when I jumped in. some of the locals told me that it was at least 20 ft deep. Snagging the rope swing is a bit tricky, but after you try once or twice you will be able to get it. The locals that were there were awesome and showed me how to do it.
From what I read only 5 people have died here in the last 5 years. To me that seems like pretty good odds considering how many thousands of people must swim here ever year. if you are a weak swimmer, you should probably just watch everyone else have fun here. I’m sure more people drown at the beach in Kauai than at Kipu falls. With that said, anytime you swim you can drown, anytime you climb anything you can slip and fall. So long as you are careful, you should be fine. But if you are looking for a Disneyland type experience with guard rails and safety nets and no chance of dying at all, maybe you should just go to Disneyland instead… Oh wait, people even die at Disneyland too.

ATTENTION read this article before you choose to go there…
«Popular Kauai swimming hole gets deadly reputation»

I would rate this as FIVE STARS, but after reading this article (see below), I think it deserves less stars. and serious consideration before attempting.
My husband and I jumped off the 20 foot rope swing during our honeymoon, and both handled it well (I’m a great swimmer but afraid of heights), and my husband is a decent swimmer. It is a very high jump, with a lot of risks involved. But like many things in life, injury or death is always a risk. You could get attacked by a shark while surfing! Sorry to sound pessimistic, but its the truth. So go for it if you feel the need, many have attempted it and been ok. It’s just odd how many people have died here.
It was one of my best memories of my trip to Kauai, but I’m not sure if I would do it had I seen this article first. Just don’t do anything if you have a bad feeling about it. It is now being rated as one of the deadliest spots in Kauai…

This place is a hidden treasure! You park along side the road walk through huge sugar cane weeds I think they are and end up at the waterfall! The waterfall is a goo jump, be careful of the rocks below! I personally prefer the rope swing! The locals tend to hangout here and will help you fetch the rope if you need assistance. Please remember this place is special to many and take your trash out with you. This last time I went I saw so much litter it made me sick! Clean up after yourselves! Seriously.

Aloha from Kaua’i!
Just a perspective from a resident on this dubiously popular attraction.
First of all just going there is illegal — the trail that is used to access it is on private property — so right off the bat this is a bad decision IMO. Secondly it is certainly known here locally as a spot for vehicle
break-​ins — probably the most widely known spot for this in fact. Also, it is dangerous to jump into or swing into or otherwise get into the pool below the falls.
Kipu Falls is considered one of the most dangerous spots on Kaua’i — on a regular basis people are hurt and even killed there — there was recently a letter to the editor by one of our emergency room doctors saying that they see people every week with various injuries sustained while they were there — but the throngs still come.
Have locals used this area for uku million years? Yes, but the fact is that since it has been touted in guide books as a «must see» or «hidden gem» here — the traffic to this place has quadrupled at least and caused it to become pretty controversial and what once was a «locals only» spot now has tons of visitors every day.
Since I’m not going to convince anybody reading this not to go there — I’d at least suggest doing research into it and the dangers involved before you drive to this remote location and jump off the side of slippery, muddy rocks into cloudy water.
My best advice? Avoid it.

Kipu Falls fulfills three essential things on any island excursion.
1. A great way to cool off (happy grin)
2. Sense of adventure (cheesy smile)
3. A cheap thrill (victory! throwing up the V fingers)
When we first arrived, we didn’t notice any sign saying «Kipu Falls this way». I mean it’s not like we expected a cartoonishly large arrow pointing it out or anything, but at least throw us a bone for someone who is completely depended on a GPS just to get to around their own hometown.
We eventually found the entrance after driving past it twice. The key to spotting it was the row of cars parked along side the road. We heard from some townies that the locals who use the falls would sometimes vandalize the cars there. So naturally, we parked at an empty spot with shattered windshield glass on the ground. We figured that’s like putting a parking ticket you already got earlier in the week on your windshield and parking at the same spot you originally got your ticket. I mean lightning can’t strike twice… right?
From the entrance there’s a short 10 minute walk along a small red dirt trail through really tall grass that leads you past a stream and to the falls. Then you need to get your Super Mario on by hopping over from rock to rock before reaching a smooth segment of ground. Once there you can jump off the falls or do your best impression of tarzan and swing on the rope.
It’s probably a good idea to wear sandals that have grip when going to the falls. Rocks can be slippery especially after it rained. If your older, then a long walking stick is also advisable.

I hate to rip on nature but maybe we just went there on an off day. The falls are beautiful, don’t get me wrong. However, on our visit they should have been called «White Trash Falls» because there were about 30+ young trashy folk hanging around, drinking beer and being obnoxious. They all seemed to know each other, too. Who knows where they came from. When the teenage moms started showing up carrying their babies, we had to get out of there. The parking area was also really filthy. I saw locals literally throwing the trash out of their trucks onto the ground. No class.

Woo hoo! This was one of my favorite spots during my Kauai visit. Easy to find, and just a short hike from the road, Kipu Falls is definitely worth a visit.
My friend and I were the only tourists to be seen, and the friendly locals gave us some tips on how to jump safely. You can either do a 20 foot cliff jump, or swing off of a 20 foot rope. I did both, and then hung out on the rocks for awhile chatting with the folks who also came to play.

This is such a beautiful swimming hole, complete with a waterfall, rocks to jump off and a rope swing. This was one of my favorite stops in all of Kauai. Something you definitely don’t want to miss.

This falls is on a river that runs through a large and active cattle ranch. The fresh water on Kauai can often get polluted by rats, sheep, cattle, and pigs. Just be careful about swimming in the fresh water if you have any kind of open cuts on you body, it could get infected. I personally would rather be in the ocean, it’s much cleaner.

Wanna drive down a deserted road that leads to nothing? Only to walk into an 8ft high corn stalk field path like from the movies? Then finally come to a clearing where you can jump off a WATERFALL/​CLIFF down into a pool of water?! HELL YA YOU DO!
We would have never found the place had it not been for my cousin. There are no signs (at least from the side we entered on) and no directions. But once you get there you’ll have the time of your life. Looking over the edge you immediately experience the vertigo, but just go for it! Man up and jump! You can either jump off the cliffs, next to the waterfall, or be even ballsy-​er and climb up to the tree/​rope swing. OR you can be mental and climb the rope swing tree, walk out on the branches over the water and just drop down! (like a crazy tourist did when we were there) That had to be a 60ft+ drop!
Jumping over the edge makes you feel reborn again. It’s such a rush and you look very studly in front of the other wussier spectators. haha. Too bad i couldn’t convince my parents to take the leap. My only regrets where that I didn’t bring a camera and therefore couldn’t record any of the awesomeness.

We entered Kipu falls the «dry» way (see photos for corn field looking route). This way is much quicker than the often guided stream way but there is only one way in. Jumping the water fall. It looks a lot scarier than it is. Once you do it you can’t stop. There is also the rope swing which is a lot less scary than the waterfall and pretty much fun times.
It can get pretty crowded with tourists here so I would recommend going during the week.
I really enjoyed the Kaua’i locals that came and showed everyone up by jumping off the highest branches doing all sorts of Olympic style dives.
All the tourists applauded them and videoed them and even though they tried to act somewhat oblivious to the crowds of people, you can tell they secretly liked showing off.
If you are prone to bug bites definitely, definitely, definitely wear your repellent.

Its like Children of the Corn or Field of Dreams– its a ten minute hike down some fields… don’t get scared when the locals call out police! LMAO
It is a good mix of locals and tourists– we watched a bunch of local guys jumping out of the tall trees into the falls. that was hysterical– more hysterical was watching the tourists getting all freaked out and snapping pictures at the same time…
if you get super allergic to bites bring some repellant!
It is safe to jump over the falls and on the swing rope… but I concur with some of the other Unilocalers that people with young children or dumb @#$# teens/​people in their mid twenties who don’t pay attention should be careful around the edge

I would hardly call it a hike, more of walking on dirt from your car to lava rocks. The waterfall is spectacular and the rope swing is so fun. Don’t try to be cool and do all kinds of tricks, leave that to the locals. It is definitely a place I went when I lived there… so look out for smoking and drinking teenagers. But its full of fun. I would not suggest it for young kids because of the slippery rocks and 25+ foot waterfall. Maybe for kids 10 and up. But you gotta check it out because its super fun. Although if you go on an adventure with outfitters Kauai, they take you to the waterfall on a number of their adventures.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BUG REPELLENT!

Bring old shoes and a suit that won’t come off in a twenty foot drop.
There used to be a rope across the stream above the falls to help you across. If it isn’t there I’d recommend a sturdy walking stick about five feet long.
This is one of the best spots on Kauai.