Places on Kauai: Lydgate State Park

Basic Information

• Name: Lydgate Beach Park
• Where: Wailua, Kauai
• Hours: Anytime
• Cost: Free
• More Information: Hawaii Beach Safety

Directions

From the main city of Lihue take the Kuhio Highway east towards Wailua.  Just before reaching the Wailua River the Hilton Garden Inn is visible on the ocean side of the highway.  Make a right and follow Leho Drive down to Lydgate State Park.

Parking

At Lydgate State Park there is a very large parking lot that is free for people to use.  In the morning there are very few people who use the park.  During the day there are many more people at the park, but there should still be no issues with finding a space.

Narrative

Lydgate State Park is a beach front recreational area located on the east side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai.  The park has a paved path that I run on as part of a jogging course I use when visiting Kauai.  Usually early in the morning I see more chickens than people at the park:

Along the path there are a number of informative signs about the area for visitors to read:

The park has a lot of grass for people to picnic on:

There are also a few covered picnic sites for visitors to use as well:

The park also has a lagoon that can be used for swimming, but the rest of the beach features dangerous rip tides:

Near the park there is also a large golf course for those who like to golf:

For kids the Bynum Bridge in the park is a lot of fun:

The bridge is a giant multi-level maze:

Here is a close up look at the sign that explains how the maze is named after Tim Bynum who was part of the Kauai Country Council who passed away in 2016:

My kids can spend hours playing in this park:

Due to the sacred nature of the Wailua River a number of temples were constructed along the river such as the Hikinaakala Heiau located near the mouth of the river that is part of Lydgate State Park:

Adjacent to Lydgate State Park is the Wailua Bridge that has a sidewalk that I use as part of my jogging course:

Near the bridge are some informative signboards.  One sign describes the history of the various bridges that crossed the Wailua River:

Another sign describes the history of the ahupua’a land division system that was once used by native Hawaiians to divide up lands among the islands by river valleys.  The Wailua River valley used to be one of these land divisions:

There was another sign that explains how sacred the Wailua River was to the native Hawaiian people:

Here is a picture of the pathway across the bridge:

Here is a picture looking at the mouth of the Wailua River with Lydgate State Park pictured on the right:

Conclusion

Lydgate State Park is a really nice park for locals and visitors alike on Kauai to enjoy.  The swimming at the park is not that great, but is a nice place for a walk or picnic.  For those that have kids I highly recommend checking out the Bynum Bridge.  I even had fun playing in the maze!