The island is easy to get around since there is a two lane highway that circumvents most of it. However, the intimidating task of finding all of the sets may be overwhelming so it is suggested to leave your Kauai vacation rental and head to a Movie Tour Company that has made arrangements to gain access to private property where some of the sites are that are not open to the general public.
Another way to see these incredible sites is to go by helicopter. You won't get to see the site as you would in the movie but if you are on a limited timeframe this may be the way to go. The other two ways are by land. Some of the sites you'll see include locations from "Raiders of the Lost Arc", where Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones outraced South American tribesman and swung on a vine to a seaplane waiting on a river. You even get to swing on a rope from the same tree into the same water as Jones. Another location is Coco Palms Resort where Elvis decided to be a tour guide instead of running the family pineapple business in "Blue Hawaii". Unfortunately, this site was pummeled by a hurricane and is disarray. One of the wonderful attributes about the land tours is that you get to see snippets of the movies on DVD players while traveling from place to place right before you see the actual site.
One of the most famous movies filmed that you may get to see in your Kauai vacation rental is the 1958 World War II musical "South Pacific". It was filmed on the north shore near the quaint town of Hanalei. A couple of more obscure movies filmed on Kauai were "Donovan's Reef" and "Pagan Love Song". A scene from "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" was filmed at Opaikaa Falls. Another well known movie that was filmed on the island was "Jurassic Park". He even got some footage of Hurricane Iniki from the roof of his hotel while the film crew was there in 1993 during the storm. There are a few publications you can research before heading out on one of these excursions. You can even leave the comforts of your Kauai vacation rental and head out on your own to find those that are accessible. It's a great way to see the island and have some fun doing so.
