The view alone is worth the drive to Kilauea on the island’s northernmost tip, upon which is perched the historic Kilauea Lighthouse.
Built in 1913, this lighthouse has guided ships and boats safely along Kauai’s coastline for 62 years. (It was turned off in the 1970s.)
Today, it attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year, lured by the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and one of the largest populations of nesting seabirds in the main Hawaiian Islands.
Since 1985, the area has been protected as the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. In 2013, the century-old lighthouse was rededicated in honor of Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii's long-serving U.S. Senator.