The Wailuā River is a 2 miles (3.2 km) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 on the island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 of Kauai

Kauai

Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

. It is formed by the confluence of its North and South forks just west of Wailua

Wailua, Hawaii

Wailuā is a census-designated place in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 2,083 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

 and enters the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

 at 22°2′42"N 159°20′11"W. It is the only navigable river (by boat

Boat

A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...

s larger than kayak

Kayak

A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...

s) in the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...

. It is a center of activity for locals and visitors in the form of boat tours to Fern Grotto

Fern Grotto

Fern Grotto is a fern covered, lava rock grotto located on the Wailua River on the eastern side of Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago. It forms a natural amphitheater which greatly increases the acoustics of the many bands that are hired to perform live music, which has traditional themes...

, kayaking

Kayaking

Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...

 and water skiing

Water skiing

thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...

.

The North Fork begins near the Waialeale crater

Mount Waialeale

Mount Waialeale at an elevation of , is a shield volcano and the second highest point on the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Averaging more than of rain a year since 1912, with a record in 1982, its summit is one of the rainiest spots on earth....

 at coordinates 22°3′35"N 159°29′33"W and flows 12.2 miles (19.6 km) east to its junction with the South Fork. The South Fork forms at the junction of several streams southwest of Hanamaulu

Hanamaulu, Hawaii

Hanamāulu is a census-designated place in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States...

 and flows 8.1 miles (13 km) east, over Wailua Falls

Wailua Falls

Wailua Falls is an 80-foot waterfall located in Kauai, Hawaii that feeds into the Wailua River.There is a path to the bottom of the falls, but it is muddy, slippery and dangerous. Some hikers have strung ropes along the path, but officials come by every so often and cut them. In ancient times,...

, to its junction with the North Fork.

Other points of interest along the river system include a bird refuge, Halokila Hawaiian Village, Secret Falls and a pool for rope jumping.