A 60-year-old female hiker from Wisconsin was rescued near Waipoo Falls on Monday, March 25th, 2024, reports the County of Kauai.
Kauai Fire Department (KFD) personnel with the Waimea Fire Station and Rescue 3 aboard Air 1 responded to the incident. According to a preliminary report, KFD received a report of an injured hiker near the Waipoo Falls Trail in Kokee State Park at approximately 11:55 a.m.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they discovered the hiker who sustained an apparent ankle injury while hiking on the trail. After assessing the patient, Rescue 3 personnel short-hauled her on Air 1 and brought her to a landing zone at the NASA Tower in Kokee. Crews with American Medical Response continued treatment of the hiker before transporting her to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital.
The Waipoo Falls Trail, also known as the Canyon Trail, is one of the more popular trails on Kauai. The trail takes hikers to the top of Waimea Canyon’s Waipoo Falls, with a spectacular vantage point of the canyon but no view of the falls below. In the past year, the trail has become even more popular with an influx of former Maui travelers. Rated as intermediate, the trail is not especially difficult, though there is uneven terrain and some slippery slopes when wet.
