If you want a quick demonstration of microclimates, drive to the west side of Kaua‘i and take Highway 550 up to Kōke‘e. By now, you have realized that Kaua‘i has seven diverse microclimates within relatively short driving times if you can avoid high traffic times. Choose your pleasure from tropical rainforests to the more arid tropical shorelines and plush green plains on the upper east side of the island for a few variations. And onto Kōke‘e, where you pass through a dry, desert landscape on the west side, or the island's leeward side, and up to a mountain forest categorized as montane mesic forest. Moderate temperatures are certainly a big draw. Winter and summer in Kōke‘e are not in the too-cold range in the winter, reaching the low sixties and heating up to the seventies in June, July and August. It is roughly ten to fifteen degrees cooler in the higher elevations. If you find yourself sweating elsewhere on the island in the summer, for instance, in Princeville, where temperatures may range into the mid-eighties, it is time to take a drive to the forested mountains of Kōke‘e situated at an altitude of 3,200 to 4,200 feet, thus meeting the criterion for a montane forest at a low enough altitude so that trees can grow. As a mesic forest, the environment falls between wet and dry, often described as moderately humid but rainy.

Director of the Kōke‘e Natural History Museum, Christine Faye, recommends that the island’s first-time visitors spend several nights elsewhere on the island before heading up to Kōke‘e. The remote area does not provide the experience tourists often expect and lacks the perks accompanying tourist attractions. Bike paths, luxury accommodations, paved trails and many food and drink options are not the stuff of Kōke‘e. Nature provides the allure. Immersion in the mesic forest may be accompanied by unexpected moments and original sensing more than a planned and anticipated experience. Kōke‘e, as implied by the meaning of the Hawaiian word “to wind, to bend,” suggests an unpredictable exploration that meandering supported by intuition reveals.

The road up to Kōke‘e was built in the 1920s to showcase all the best views of Waimea Canyon. No wonder locals like to take a day trip there with the idea of having a picnic in the meadow in front of the Kōke‘e Museum. If you plan to hike on one of the trails and rely on phone apps, downloading the information is a good idea before making the ascent as cell service can be spotty at the higher elevation. The museum can also provide trail maps and directions. An important tip for day trippers is not to start too late. The restaurant and bar in Kōke‘e Lodge closes at 4:30 p.m., and the weather can be unpredictable. Visitors may think they have been in the fog when they are in the clouds. Chris cautions against hiking at night to avoid dangerous encounters with wild pigs.

In the past, a permanent population never settled in the area known to be incredibly rich in native plant and bird life. Kia manu, Hawaiian bird catchers who used poles by that name to catch manu (birds), worked for the king. They collected feathers in Kōke‘e to adorn the raiments of ali‘i (royalty). The museum director explains Hawaiians “did not have gemstones and gold.” Rather, they stitched vibrantly colored bird feathers into the ‘ahū ‘ūla (cloaks), mahiole (helmets) and kāhili (staffs) of the chiefs. They used ingenious methods to catch birds, attaching a decoy or sticky paste to a pole they lifted high into the canopies of trees. Another group also worked for the king, caring for the koa trees. Chris explains, “Fishing canoes, essential to the culture, were roughed out in the forest and dragged to communities near the ocean to be finished.” The koa that grows in Kōke‘e does not grow as tall and straight as it does on the Island of Hawai’i. Therefore, the branches need to be tended to direct a straight growth path. Koa wood was prized in ancient times for its symbolism, the word koa meaning “warrior.” The sacred wood symbolizes the characteristics of the warrior—strength and courage. Most important, considering the staggering decline of koa forests throughout Hawai‘i, is koa forests serve as refuges for the remaining species of native birds, thought to be just above thirty that have survived despite almost half of these being endangered.

People are lured to Kōke‘e for the breathtaking lookouts and interesting sights, so pay attention as they can be easily missed as you make your way up. Waimea Canyon Drive offers expansive views of the Island of Ni‘ihau to the left. Since it is inhabited by natives only, Ni‘ihau has earned the moniker of the Forbidden Island. On the right, the views of Olokele Canyon and the mouth of Waimea Canyon continue to surprise. Pullovers exist for the safety and enjoyment of the views, but visitors must be sure to be well off the heavily traveled road. Halfway to Kōke‘e State Park, the road passes through a grand stand of eucalyptus forest. Ten miles up, visitors can get an eye feast of the Waimea Canyon. Welcome amenities at this lookout include cell service and a public restroom. Always remember that they are few and far between in this out-of-the-way place. Other lookouts on visitors’ lists include the Pu‘u Hinahina lookout at approximately 13.5 miles up the road. Cell service is available here but not beyond mile marker fourteen. It is famous for offering one of the canyon's most astonishing and sweeping views. This view extends down the valley and takes in the Pacific Ocean and another glimpse of the island of Ni‘ihau.

Mile marker fifteen designates Kōke‘e Park Headquarters, which comprises the museum, a picnic area, and, notably, another public restroom. The Kōke‘e Campground awaits those who have already secured permits and spaces by going online to Kōke‘e at Hawaii.gov. Chris tells visitors to book state cabins and campsites in advance as they cannot be booked on the same day. Conveniently, park entrance fees and tickets can be booked the same day through kiosks using credit cards. The four major lookouts with parking lots have these kiosks. Before journeying further, visit the museum to learn more about this unique area and its unique history, especially to become familiar with the native birds and plants one might encounter to identify them. You will also spy koa right outside the museum window. A nine-hundred-foot trail is located just behind the museum to introduce the forest.

Two spectacular lookouts remain up the road, with yet another public restroom. The Kalalau Valley Lookout is at mile marker eighteen. It is frequently photographed framed by the sacred ‘ōhi‘a lehua tree perched at the top of the lookout. If you are lucky enough to visit during the Spring blooming season, you might recognize it by its beautiful and bold scarlet flowers. You might also see other ‘ōhia trees in the view plane. If so, count yourself lucky, as this tree has become endangered due to a disease called Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD), which has ravaged it on the Island of Hawai‘i. Let it also serve as a reminder of the fragile environment you have entered and to tread lightly by sticking to designated paths. This is true of hiking as well. Chris says that many people “do not realize how dangerous the soils are” as they contain “a lot of silica” making for extra-slippery terrain, especially when combined with rain. The end of the road and last lookout is the Pu‘u o Kila at nineteen miles. It is touted as providing an even better panoramic view of the Kalalau Valley than the Kalalau Lookout. It is also the gateway to the Pihea Trail which takes hikers over the upland Alakai Swamp, with the distinction of being the highest swamp in the world. It is the terrain of rare birds but a trail prone to muddiness and areas of slippery clay that can quickly turn dangerous with rain and fog. Being very quiet is the secret to seeing birds.

Indeed, quiet is just the presence to take into this forest paradise. The natural experience is the paradise Kōke‘e has to offer: lookouts presenting unimaginable beauty, a bird song never heard before, a first encounter with the peeling bark of a eucalyptus tree and the protective feeling of being shaded by the canopy of a stand of koa trees. Visitors might catch a surprise glimpse of a native plant, for example, pālapalai, beloved by the hula goddess Laka and considered to be a sacred fern as it is used to decorate Hula altars. Many hidden gifts are waiting to be revealed or discovered by the visitor willing to become the seer.