What's a good 3-day itinerary for Kauai?

Kauai has one road and no public transit. Rent a car at Lihue Airport. Day 1 stays on the East Side and South Shore. Drive 6 km north to Wailua Falls by 8 AM, when the parking lot holds maybe four cars and morning mist still hangs in the gorge. The twin falls drop about 24 meters into a pool that smells of wet volcanic rock and ripe guava. On the way south, pull over at the 'Opaeka'a Falls viewpoint on Kuamo'o Road. Turn onto Maluhia Road and drive through the Tree Tunnel, 1.6 km of eucalyptus canopy that fills the car with camphor. Arrive in Poipu by 10:30 AM. Brennecke's Beach Broiler sits across from Poipu Beach Park for a $16 fish taco lunch. Spend the afternoon at Allerton Garden on the Lawa'i Valley floor. The Moreton Bay fig trees here appeared in Jurassic Park. Book the 2 PM tour in advance. Dinner at Tidepools in the Grand Hyatt Kauai, where tables sit over koi ponds. Entrees start around $45.

Day 2 drives 50 km north. The road from Kapa'a to Hanalei takes 45 minutes without traffic, but single-lane bridges after Princeville slow everything down. Arrive in Hanalei by 8:30 AM. Hanalei Bread Company opens at 7 AM and serves a $9 acai bowl that tastes like frozen passionfruit with macadamia crunch. Walk Hanalei Bay's 3 km crescent of wet sand while the Makana ridge fades into low cloud. By 10 AM, continue to Limahuli Garden and Preserve, the last accessible valley on the North Shore before the Na Pali cliffs. The self-guided tour takes 90 minutes through terraced taro patches and native loulu palms. If you pre-booked a Ha'ena State Park permit, drive to Ke'e Beach afterward. The permit system limits visitors to 900 per day. The lagoon stays calm enough for snorkeling most of September. Return to Hanalei for dinner at Bar Acuda, a tapas restaurant on Aku Road where seared ahi and local goat cheese plate run about $18 each.

Day 3 heads west to Waimea Canyon. The drive from Poipu takes about 45 minutes on Highway 50. Stop at the Waimea Canyon Lookout at 1,097 meters for the first view of red and green layered walls carved by the Waimea River. Continue uphill to the Kalalau Lookout at 1,200 meters, where the valley drops straight to the ocean. Morning is best because clouds fill the valley by noon most days. The Cliff Trail adds a 0.3 km walk to a second vantage point. On the way back down, the Pu'u Hinahina Lookout faces Ni'ihau, the privately owned island 28 km offshore. Stop in Waimea town for shrimp from a food truck near the Captain Cook statue, about $14 a plate. If time remains, Waimea Swinging Bridge crosses the river on a 1911 suspension span that still sways underfoot. September weather averages 27 degrees with occasional afternoon showers on the North Shore and dry skies on the west side.