Can’t say I thought I’d ever do it, but I finally rode my bicycle around Oahu and had a surprisingly easy time of it!
I covered 190 miles over seven easy days. I probably never got above 100 feet except on a few side trails (Punchbowl National Cemetery, Tantalus Overlook, and a warmshowers host in St. Louis Heights). You can do a comfortable lap of Oahu in three 50-mile days, but my extra miles were spent exploring Honolulu. I rode counterclockwise and spent my first day visiting Koko Head Crater and Hanauma Bay. You could stay busy here and at Makapu’u before finding accommodations in nearby Kailua or Kaneohe. It’s by far the most scenic part of the island and worth the detour.
The north shore was pretty tame, all things considered. Kualoa Regional Park would’ve made an excellent camping spot, but the permits are awkward to get. (It’s a city website that only sells them two weeks ahead of time and only for week-long reservations. I know, weird…) Otherwise, the highway was flat and had a decent shoulder throughout. The traffic only started getting bad near Haleiwa, but it may have just been afternoon rush hour. Camping anywhere near Mokuleia is simple and worth the effort, it’s a quiet corner of Oahu.
The most challenging segment is wrapping around Ka’ena Point. It’s about two miles of dirt road along the north shore and two more on the west side, but the moment you round the point, you encounter a landslide that requires you to hike your bike and gear across a goat trail of sorts. I felt safe the entire time, but it’s probably the most harrowing part of the entire trip. It gets intensely hot and sunny there, so be sure to cross early in the day. If it rained recently, the road will probably be incredibly muddy, at least near Mokuleia.
The west side is straightforward, but the kiawe thorns are a nuisance and tend to litter the road on the way to Waianae. (I got a pinhole leak along this stretch.) There isn’t much to see, but the traffic gets pretty heavy by the time you wrap around to H-1/Kapolei. Maybe they’ll build a rail trail down this stretch someday, but I just waited for a lull in traffic and took my sweet time riding through the Disney resorts to minimize my time on the highway.
From here it gets pretty easy. You can ride along modern highways (i.e., ones with dedicated bike lanes) until you reach the Pearl Harbor bike path, or even take Skyline, the newly operational monorail that will someday service much of Oahu. For now it only runs from UH West Oahu campus to Aiea, barely ten miles, but it’s cheap and incredibly friendly to bicyclists. Once you disembark, you’re in the city proper and can thread your way to any number of attractions.
If you like the museum scene, you’ll be pleased with Capitol Modern (free admission) and the Bishop Museum, which has a phenomenal Polynesian cultural display but is otherwise geared toward children. The Honolulu Museum of Art (HOMA) has by far the most professional presentation when combined with an optional tour of Shangri La. (Tickets for this add-on are really hard to get, you’ll have to book them a month or two in advance.) The dining scene is great, so if you’ve got the budget, you’ll find any number of fantastic restaurants. If you want genuine Hawaiian food, I highly recommend Highway Inn Kaka’ako. Diamond Head is also a must-do for any tourist. Visit as early in the day as possible to keep your sanity amongst the crowds, lol.
I’ve lived in Hawaii for a few years now. If you ever decide to visit Oahu, you’ll probably get the most out of your trip by taking a few days off the bike to explore the urban scene. Just be aware the homeless situation is nothing short of appalling. Keep an eye on your gear and don’t expect to be able to wild camp in any but the most rural parks. The warmshowers community is fortunately pretty strong here and they helped me out immensely. I managed to do this entire tour for under $500, including air fare ($150) and bike fees ($50, ugh). I got pretty lucky and only had to spend $20 on accommodations, lol.
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Can’t say I thought I’d ever do it, but I finally rode my bicycle around Oahu and had a surprisingly easy time of it!
I covered 190 miles over seven easy days. I probably never got above 100 feet except on a few side trails (Punchbowl National Cemetery, Tantalus Overlook, and a warmshowers host in St. Louis Heights). You can do a comfortable lap of Oahu in three 50-mile days, but my extra miles were spent exploring Honolulu. I rode counterclockwise and spent my first day visiting Koko Head Crater and Hanauma Bay. You could stay busy here and at Makapu’u before finding accommodations in nearby Kailua or Kaneohe. It’s by far the most scenic part of the island and worth the detour.
The north shore was pretty tame, all things considered. Kualoa Regional Park would’ve made an excellent camping spot, but the permits are awkward to get. (It’s a city website that only sells them two weeks ahead of time and only for week-long reservations. I know, weird…) Otherwise, the highway was flat and had a decent shoulder throughout. The traffic only started getting bad near Haleiwa, but it may have just been afternoon rush hour. Camping anywhere near Mokuleia is simple and worth the effort, it’s a quiet corner of Oahu.
The most challenging segment is wrapping around Ka’ena Point. It’s about two miles of dirt road along the north shore and two more on the west side, but the moment you round the point, you encounter a landslide that requires you to hike your bike and gear across a goat trail of sorts. I felt safe the entire time, but it’s probably the most harrowing part of the entire trip. It gets intensely hot and sunny there, so be sure to cross early in the day. If it rained recently, the road will probably be incredibly muddy, at least near Mokuleia.
The west side is straightforward, but the kiawe thorns are a nuisance and tend to litter the road on the way to Waianae. (I got a pinhole leak along this stretch.) There isn’t much to see, but the traffic gets pretty heavy by the time you wrap around to H-1/Kapolei. Maybe they’ll build a rail trail down this stretch someday, but I just waited for a lull in traffic and took my sweet time riding through the Disney resorts to minimize my time on the highway.
From here it gets pretty easy. You can ride along modern highways (i.e., ones with dedicated bike lanes) until you reach the Pearl Harbor bike path, or even take Skyline, the newly operational monorail that will someday service much of Oahu. For now it only runs from UH West Oahu campus to Aiea, barely ten miles, but it’s cheap and incredibly friendly to bicyclists. Once you disembark, you’re in the city proper and can thread your way to any number of attractions.
If you like the museum scene, you’ll be pleased with Capitol Modern (free admission) and the Bishop Museum, which has a phenomenal Polynesian cultural display but is otherwise geared toward children. The Honolulu Museum of Art (HOMA) has by far the most professional presentation when combined with an optional tour of Shangri La. (Tickets for this add-on are really hard to get, you’ll have to book them a month or two in advance.) The dining scene is great, so if you’ve got the budget, you’ll find any number of fantastic restaurants. If you want genuine Hawaiian food, I highly recommend Highway Inn Kaka’ako. Diamond Head is also a must-do for any tourist. Visit as early in the day as possible to keep your sanity amongst the crowds, lol.
I’ve lived in Hawaii for a few years now. If you ever decide to visit Oahu, you’ll probably get the most out of your trip by taking a few days off the bike to explore the urban scene. Just be aware the homeless situation is nothing short of appalling. Keep an eye on your gear and don’t expect to be able to wild camp in any but the most rural parks. The warmshowers community is fortunately pretty strong here and they helped me out immensely. I managed to do this entire tour for under $500, including air fare ($150) and bike fees ($50, ugh). I got pretty lucky and only had to spend $20 on accommodations, lol.