Most people catch their first glimpse of the Hanalei River from an overlook just past the entrance to Princeville Shopping Center. It's a view straight out of the pages of a children's fairytale. Leafy-topped trees cover the hillside down to the riverbanks where they give way to emerald green patches of taro. The river snakes through a wildlife refuge where endangered birds find shelter, and flows lazily below a steel-canopied, one-lane bridge on its way to the sea.
This is a river made for low-impact kayaking. Guided tours depart from on old boatyard at the Hanalei River Mouth and are likely to include a lot of colorful information about the history of the river.
