Getting to Know Hawaii: Pu'u 'Ualaka'a State Park

The Need to Knows:

• Pu'u 'Ualaka'a State Park is located off of Round Top Drive off of Makiki Street.  The entrance's exact location can be found here (the end of Nutridge Street is where the lookout is):

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• The park is open from 7 AM to 7:45 PM from April 1 to Labor Day and 7 AM to 6:45 PM from after Labor Day to March 31.
• There are no fees to enter or park.
• There are two separate areas to check out -- the lookout area (pictured above) and a sheltered picnic area.
• Restrooms, trash cans, and water fountains can all be found here.
• There are a few parking spots, but don't leave anything valuable behind in your car just in case.
• It gets a bit windy here, so hang on to your hair or hat if necessary!
• A trail called the 'Ualaka'a Trail begins here; click this link for more information.

Last week, I talked about the Mount Tantalus Drive here on the blog, and now I'll continue where I left off with Pu'u 'Ualaka'a State Park.  If you're looking for some sweeping views of Diamond Head, downtown Honolulu, and beyond, look no further, because Pu'u 'Ualaka'a State Park is absolutely where you need to be!

Click the picture for the full size view!

This park is a wonderful place to have a picnic and gaze out to the city beyond.  You can see all the way from Manoa Valley to Diamond Head to the western side of the island.

Diamond Head and downtown Honolulu

Manoa Valley

Honolulu International Airport and the leeward side beyond it

This place might actually look familiar to some of you; a scene from Elvis's Blue Hawaii was filmed here!

If you look closely, in the middle of the picture you can see the Star of Honolulu heading back to port

The park does close at either 6:45 PM or 7:45 PM depending on the time of the year, so stargazing from here isn't exactly a (legal) option.  But I really am looking forward to at least catching a beautiful sunset from here sometime in the near future!

Closer view of Diamond Head

Closer view of downtown Honolulu

What are some of your favorite scenic lookouts where you live?