What? No palm trees? Well, this can’t be Hawaii, can it? Yes, Virginia, Hawaii has mountains high enough where the palm trees don’t grow.

Today we visit the cool uplands of the Garden Isle, Kauai.

Back in the clouds behind desolate Waimea Canyon is a forest unique to the islands of the Pacific and the tropics. Here, the air is cold, as low as the 50s and 60s in the day time.

I’m talking about Kokee State Park on Kauai. Just as Waimea Canyon appears strangely out of place in this tropical paradise, so does Kokee State Park. You’d think you were in Colorado or Washington State..

Kokee is over 4,300 acres of rock, forest, meadows, waterfalls, and streams perfect for trout fishing. Complete with a stock of trout.

“Kokee is over 4,300 acres of rock, forest, meadows, waterfalls, and streams perfect for trout fishing.”Nearby are dozens of hiking trails and panoramic vista views that stagger the imagination. Without the drink or two to help with the stagger.

In fact, the views down the Na Pali Coast of Kauai are worth the effort to get to Kokee State Park in the first place. The state of Hawaii doesn’t make it easy to find either Waimea or Kokee.

There’s a twisting, winding road that’s hospitable but not easy to find. As you drive up the road you encounter mist, fog, foggy dew and rain on the highway. That’s the beginning.

Not far (don’t hike it) from Waimea Canyon is Alakai Swamp, considered by many to be the wettest spot on the earth. 400 inches of annual rain should at least make the Top 10 list.

To start a trek to Kokee, I recommend a stop at the Kokee Natural History Museum. Here you’ll find photos, maps, books, exhibits of fauna and flora (two girls from Kalihi that I used to date…aah, the memories). You’ll also see a mounted six pound rainbow trout and view the latest information on weather and trail conditions.

While you can certainly “rough it” on the hiking trails deep into the valleys in and around Waimea, Kokee State Park is convenient because that’s where Kokee Lodge is located. 808-335-6061 to reserve a room. Cabins, too.

“These are descendants of the first poultry brought to Hawaii by Polynesian settlers centuries ago.”While there’s wildlife in Waikiki (grin, wink, wink), there’s wildlife of a sort in Kokee State Park. You’re sure to meet up with the local “moa”—a rare red jungle chicken.  These are descendants of the first poultry brought to Hawaii by Polynesian settlers centuries ago.

Kokee is also home to some rare birds, such as the “nuku-puu”, a rare honeycreeper which makes its home in the forests and swamps.

Wait. There’s more.

No content with fauna and flora (I was content for awhile, then I married) or local chickens? It’s a seasonal thing, of course, but the park has hunting seasons for game birds, wild boar, goats, black-tail deer.

Kauai’s Kokee State Park. It’s wet, it’s dry. It’s humid, it’s cold. It’s desolate yet filled with wildlife.

Don’t feed the chickens. They bite.

Want to know the best places to eat in Hawaii? Click over to Ono Dining for totally biased reviews on Hawai's best (and not so best) restaurants.