FERN GROTTO

Only accessible by boat or Kayak, the Fern Grotto is located about two miles up Kauai’s Wailua River, the only navigable river in the State of Hawaii. The grotto is a cave of lush ferns growing on the cave walls as a result of moisture seeping from the irrigation of sugarcane growing on the cliff plateau. When the sugar industry had its last days, the ferns began to die off until restoration efforts returned moisture to the area. Hurricane Iniki and a severe flood in 2006 also wreaked havoc upon the cave.