~ Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge Viewpoint (Hanalei Refuge Lookout) ~

The long anticipated opening of the new Hanalei Refuge Lookout in Princeville is now a month away. The site located along Kūhiō Highway, just before the entrance to Princeville, will open on Tuesday April 30th, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.

This 5.4-acre parcel with two viewpoints of the greater Hanalei Valley and Bay, Hanalei NWR, and the Halele‘a Forest Reserve was developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Highways Division.

The Hanalei Refuge Lookout will also include parking for 25 cars, short-term parking for a maximum of three buses, perimeter fencing and entry gate, signs, interpretive displays, vault toilets, seating, and native plantings that will provide residents and visitors with opportunities to learn about the natural and cultural history of the Hanalei Valley and the Hanalei NWR.

Add this to your “must visit” spots when next you visit Princeville or the North Shore of Kauai.

Note: With its patchwork quilt of loʻi kalo and wetland management units, Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge is the oldest of Kaua‘i’s three national wildlife refuges. The 917-acre refuge was established in 1972 to recover threatened and endangered species, including endangered waterbirds that rely on the Hanalei Valley for nesting and feeding habitat. Learn more about the refuge by visiting their website at www.fws.gov/hanalei