Camping

If you plan to camp, you must bring your own gear or buy it here -- no one on Oahu rents out gear. If you bring your own equipment, remember that you can't transport fuel (even in a canister) on the plane. If your camping stove requires butane fuel, just leave it at home; butane is very difficult to find in Hawaii.

TheBus's Circle Island route can get you to or near all the best camping sites, but remember: On TheBus, you're allowed only one bag, which has to fit under the seat. If you have more gear, you're going to have to drive or take a cab.

Note: Reservations for all state parks on the island of Oahu cannot be made more than 30 days in advance. To make a reservation, send a letter of request stating the park, dates, identification numbers (driver's license, passport, or state ID) for all adults, head count of the minors, and your payment of $18 per night per site for 6 people (each site holds 10 people), if your party is more than six, then an addition fee of $3 per person will be applied for more than six. Payment can be made with a money order, cashier's check, or traveler's check. As we went to press, information is available on the Department of Land and Natural Resources' website, but you cannot apply for permits online. However in 2010, the department promises they will have a Web-based permit system (http://www.hawaiistateparks.org).

Tips on Safety at Hawaii's Parks -- Staying at Hawaii's beautiful parks can be a memorable experience. Below are a few safety tips to make sure your stay is safe. Yes, you are in paradise, but don't take unnecessary risks--warnings are posted for your safety, follow them. Be sure to check the weather in advance.

• Water Safety: Not all beaches have lifeguards, so know your limits. Poor swimmers must be cautious. If you do not know how to bodysurf or snorkel, do not try it on your own. Always be aware of the ocean, shoreline, and tidal conditions.
• Emergencies: In case of an emergency, dial 911 (if you are calling from a pay phone, no coins are required). As a safety rule, always know where the nearest pay phone is to your camp site.
• Hiking: Remember that Hawaii has no twilight and we go from daylight to dark FAST! Plan your hike to be back an hour before dark and remember to allow a speed of 1.5 miles per hour when hiking. Always wear proper foot wear (close-toed shoes or hiking shoes) when hiking.
• Civil Defense Warnings: Sirens are stationed along the shorelines in Hawaii to alert people of an impending tsunami or other potential hazards. If you hear the siren (a steady tone for 3 minutes, then repeated), immediately get to higher protected ground. (Note: the sirens are tested the first Wed of every month at noon)
• Thefts: Yes, Virginia, there is theft in Hawaii, and there are particular problems in camping areas. Never leave your personal property in your car or at your campsite unguarded. A thief can get into your locked trunk faster than you can with your keys.

Honolulu

Sand Island State Recreation Area -- Believe it or not, there is a campground in Honolulu. It's just south of Honolulu Harbor at a waterfront park. Don't be put off by the heavy industrial area you have to drive through to reach this 102-acre park with grassy lawns, ironwood trees, and sandy beaches. Campers have great views, better than those of some of the guests in the $400-a-night rooms in Waikiki, of the entire Honolulu coastline all the way to Waikiki. In addition to the scenery, the most popular activity here is shoreline fishing, especially along the western shore of Sand Island. Swimming is an option, but watch out for the rocks along the shoreline bottom; the water quality is occasionally questionable too. The park is also a good base camp for visiting Honolulu attractions; it's just 15 minutes from Waikiki or Pearl Harbor.

Only tent camping is allowed in this park, and only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. You'll find picnic tables (some under small covered shelters), restrooms with cold showers only, and potable water. You'll need a permit; the fee is $5 per campsite per night. Applications are accepted no earlier than 30 days in advance. Write to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, State Parks Division, P.O. Box 621, Honolulu, HI 96809 (tel. 808/587-0300; www.hawaiistateparks.org/camping/fees.cfm). Permits are given for a maximum of 5 days in every 30-day period (and because you can only stay on weekends, 5 consecutive days aren't possible). The gates close at 6:45pm in the fall and winter (from the weekend after Labor Day until Mar 31) and 7:45pm in the spring and summer (Apr 1 until the Fri after Labor Day). The gates do not open until 7am the next morning; cars cannot enter or leave during that period. TheBus 19 stops at Nimitz Highway and Puuhale Road; it's just over a mile to walk to the park entrance.

To get here from the Honolulu International Airport, take Nimitz Highway toward Honolulu and Waikiki. Turn right at the Sand Island Access Road (Hwy. 64) and follow it to the end of the road and the park entrance.

Central Oahu

Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area -- At the southern end of central Oahu, above Halawa Heights, this 385-acre wooded park offers a cool mountain retreat with hiking trails and picnic facilities. This area, in the foothills of the Koolaus, is filled with eucalyptus, ironwood, and Norfolk pines. The remains of the heiau ho'ola (temple of treating the sick) are on the grounds, and specimens of Hawaiian medicinal plants are on display. An excellent 5-mile hiking trail, the Aiea loop, offers magnificent views of Pearl Harbor and the mountains. There's tent camping only; campers have the choice of flat, open grassy areas or slightly sloping areas with shade trees. Facilities include picnic tables, restrooms with cold showers, outdoor grills, a dishwashing area, a covered pavilion, drinking water, and a public phone. Supplies are available in Aiea, 2 miles away.

You'll need a permit, which cost $5 per campsite per night; applications are accepted no earlier than 30 days in advance. Write to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Permits are limited to a 5-day stay in every 30-day period. Camping is permitted Friday through Tuesday nights. The gates close at 6:45pm in the fall and winter (from the weekend after Labor Day until Mar 31) and 7:45pm in the spring and summer (Apr 1 until the Fri after Labor Day). The gates do not open until 7am the next morning; cars cannot enter or leave during that period.

From Waikiki, take the H-1 Freeway to Highway 78 and exit at Aiea (Exit 13A). Follow Moanalua Road to Aiea Heights Drive and turn right; the park entrance is at the end of the road. There is no bus service to this area.

The Windward Coast

Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens -- This relatively unknown windward-side camping area, outside Kaneohe, is a real find. Hoomaluhia means "peace and tranquillity," an apt description for this 400-acre botanical garden. In the lush garden setting with rare plants and craggy cliffs in the background, it's hard to believe you're just a half-hour from downtown Honolulu. The gardens are laid out with areas devoted to the plants specific to tropical America, native Hawaii, Polynesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Africa. A 32-acre lake sits in the middle of the scenic park (no swimming or boating allowed, though), and there are numerous hiking trails. The Visitors Center can suggest a host of activities, ranging from guided walks to demonstrations of ancient Hawaiian plant use. The facilities for this tent-camp area include restrooms, cold showers, dishwashing stations, picnic tables, grills, and water. A public phone is available at the Visitors Center, and shopping and gas are available in Kaneohe, 1 mile away.

Permits are free, but you have to get here on a Friday no later than 3pm, as the office is not open on weekends. Stays are limited to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights only. You must apply in person. To get a permit, contact Parks Permit Section, Honolulu Municipal Building, 650 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96713 (tel. 808/523-4525; www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/permits.htm), or any Satellite City Halls (www.honolulu.gov/csd/satellite). For inquiries and reservations, contact Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens, 45-680 Luluku Rd. (at Kamehameha Hwy.), Kaneohe, HI 96744 (tel. 808/233-7323). The gate is locked at 4pm; it is open again from 5:30 to 6:30pm, and then closed for the night after that until 9am the next morning. TheBus no. 55 (Circle Island) stops 4 miles from the park entrance.

From Waikiki, take H-1 to the Pali Highway (Hwy. 61) and turn left on Kamehameha Highway (Hwy. 83); at the fourth light, turn left on Luluku Road.

Kualoa Regional Park -- This park has a spectacular setting on a peninsula on Kaneohe Bay. The gold-sand beach is excellent for snorkeling, and fishing can be rewarding. Two campgrounds are available: Campground A -- in a wooded area with a sandy beach and palm, ironwood, kamani, and monkeypod trees -- is mainly used for groups, but has a few sites for families, except during the summer, when the Department of Parks and Recreation conducts a children's camping program here. Campground B is on the main beach; it has fewer shade trees, but a great view of Mokolii Island. Facilities at both sites include restrooms, showers, picnic tables, drinking fountains, and a public phone. Campground A also has sinks for dishwashing, a volleyball court, and a kitchen building. Gas and groceries are available in Kaaawa, 2 1/2 miles away. Gate hours are 7am to 8pm; if you're not back by then, you're locked out for the night.

Permits are free but limited to 5 days (no camping Wed-Thurs). Contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation,. Kualoa Regional Park is in the 49-600 area of Kamehameha Highway, across from Mokolii Island. Take the Likelike Highway (Hwy. 63); after the Wilson Tunnel, get in the right lane and turn off on Kahakili Highway (Hwy. 83). Or take TheBus no. 55.

Kahana Bay Beach Park -- Under Tahiti-like cliffs, with a beautiful, gold-sand crescent beach framed by pine-needle casuarina trees, Kahana Bay Beach Park is a place of serene beauty. You can swim, bodysurf, fish, hike, picnic, or just sit and listen to the trade winds whistle through the beach pines.

Both tent and vehicle camping are allowed at this oceanside oasis. Facilities include restrooms, picnic tables, drinking water, public phones, and a boat-launching ramp. Note that the restrooms are at the north end of the beach, far away from the camping area, and there are no showers. You'll need a permit; the fee is $5 per campsite per night. There's a 5-night limit, and no camping at all on Wednesday or Thursday nights. You can get a permit from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, State Parks Division, P.O. Box 621, Honolulu, HI 96809 (tel. 808/587-0300; www.hawaiistateparks.org/camping/fees.cfm).

Kahana Bay Beach Park is in the 52-222 block of Kamehameha Highway (Hwy. 83) in Kahana. From Waikiki, take the H-1 west to the Likelike Highway (Hwy. 63). Continue north on the Likelike, through the Wilson Tunnel, turning left on Highway 83; Kahana Bay is 13 miles down the road on the right. You can also get there via TheBus no. 55.

Waimanalo Bay State Recreation Area -- Just outside the town of Waimanalo is one of the most beautiful beachfront camping grounds on Oahu: Steep verdant cliffs in the background, a view of Rabbit Island off shore, and miles of white-sand beach complete the picture of Waimanalo Bay State Recreation Area. This campground is close to Sea Life Park and relatively close to Hanauma Bay, Makapuu, and Sandy Beach.

Ocean activities abound: great swimming offshore, good surfing for beginners, and plentiful fishing grounds. There is tent camping only at the 12 sites, which ensures plenty of privacy. The campsites (in numbered slots) are all in the open grassy lawn between the ironwood trees and the shoreline. Each campsite has its own picnic table, barbecue grill, and garbage can. Other facilities in the area include a central restroom with showers, water fountains, and a dishwashing sink. A public telephone is by the caretaker's house.

Permits are free but limited to 5 nights (no camping on Wed or Thurs nights). Contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, 650 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96713 (tel. 808/523-4525; www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/permits.htm), for information and permits. Permits are not issued until 2 weeks before your camping dates.

TheBus no. 57 stops on Kalanianaole Highway (Hwy. 72), about a mile's walking distance to the park entrance. From Honolulu, take the H-1 Freeway east until it ends. Continue on Highway 72 into Waimanalo. Turn right on Whiteman Road and then right again on Walker Road, which leads to the park entrance.

The North Shore

Malaekahana Bay State Recreation Area -- This beautiful camping site has a mile-long gold-sand beach, with two areas for tent camping. Facilities include picnic tables, restrooms, showers, sinks, drinking water, and a phone. Stays are limited to 5 nights (no camping on Wed or Thurs nights). Camping fees are $5 per campsite per night; permits can be obtained at any state parks office, including the Department of Land and Natural Resources, State Parks Division, P.O. Box 621, Honolulu, HI 96809 (tel. 808/587-0300; www.hawaiistateparks.org/camping/fees.cfm). The park gate is closed between 6:45pm and 7am; vehicles cannot enter or exit during those hours. Groceries and gas are available in Laie and Kahuku, less than a mile away.

The recreation area is on Kamehameha Highway (Hwy. 83) between Laie and Kahuku. To get there, take the H-2 Freeway to Highway 99 to Highway 83 (both roads are called Kamehameha Hwy.); continue on Highway 83 just past Kahuku. Or take TheBus no. 55.

Camp Mokuleia -- A quiet, isolated beach on Oahu's North Shore, 4 miles from Kaena Point, is the centerpiece of this 9-acre campground. Camping is available on the beach or in a grassy, wooded area. Activities include swimming, surfing, shore fishing, and beachcombing. Facilities include tent camping, cabins, and lodge accommodations. The tent-camping site has portable chemical toilets, a water spigot, and outdoor showers; there are no picnic tables or barbecue grills, so come prepared. The cabins sleep up to 22 people in bunk beds. The cabins are $190 per night for the 14-bed cabin and $275 per night for the 22-bed cabin. Rooms at the lodge (must have a group of 15 for meal service) are $75 for a shared bathroom and $85 for a private bathroom. Tent camping is $15 per person, per night. Many groups use the camp, but there's a real sense of privacy. Parking is $3 per day. Reservations are required; contact Camp Mokuleia, 68-729 Farrington Hwy., Waialua, HI 96791 (tel. 808/637-6241; www.campmokuleia.org).

Camp Mokuleia is on Farrington Highway, west of Haleiwa. To get here from Waikiki, take the H-1 to the H-2 exit; stay on H-2 until the end. Where the road forks, bear left to Waialua on Highway 803, which turns into Highway 930, to Kaena Point. Look for the green fence on the right, where a small sign at the driveway reads CAMP MOKULEIA, EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF HAWAII.