Kauai with a Toddler

Taking a one-year-old to Hawaii felt either like the most inspired or most foolish thing we’d ever done. After a week on Kauai, we’re confident it was both.

We stayed on the North Shore, in a small house tucked behind a wall of tropical green. The drive from the airport alone was enough to convince us we’d made the right call — winding roads, red dirt, and that impossible shade of blue-green water appearing without warning.

Hanalei Bay became our anchor. We’d walk down to the beach in the morning, Noah in the carrier, before the crowds arrived. The water was calm enough that we could wade in with him, and he was absolutely transfixed by the waves — shrieking every time a small one hit his feet, then immediately demanding more.

We hiked part of the Na Pali Coast — just the first stretch of the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi’ai Beach — with Noah in a hiking pack. The views are legitimately difficult to believe. Emerald cliffs dropping straight into the Pacific. At some point you stop reaching for your phone and just stand there.

We also drove to Waimea Canyon, which gets called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, somewhat accurately. On a clear day you can see layers of red and green stretching out forever. We hit it on a misty morning and it felt more mysterious than grand, which was maybe better.

A few honest notes for anyone traveling with a small child:

The time zone shift is real. We were up before 5am every day, which turned out to be gift — Kauai in the early morning is extraordinary. No crowds, the light coming in sideways over the mountains, roosters crowing somewhere in the distance (there are a lot of roosters).

Pack half what you think you need for the baby. The island has grocery stores. You do not need to bring sixteen pouches.

We left wanting more time, which is exactly the right way to leave a place.

Kauai in the summer of 2024: ten out of ten, would absolutely return.