National park sites near Honolulu. Here is the honest version that most lists skip: Oahu, the island Honolulu sits on, has exactly one National Park Service site, Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Every other park worth flying for is on a different island. So this guide ranks 5 National Park Service sites you can reach from Honolulu, starting with the one you can drive to and being straight about which ones require an inter-island flight.
If you only have a day and a rental car, Pearl Harbor is your answer. If you have a few days and want to see Hawaii’s volcanic crown jewels, plan an island hop to the Big Island or Maui and give those parks the time they deserve.
I have been to many of these places since I retired from teaching history in 2018, and getting to walk them and then share them with you is the best part of the job.
National Parks Near Honolulu At A Glance
Be honest with yourself about the travel. Only Pearl Harbor is on Oahu. The rest are full inter-island trips.
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| Site | Island | Designation | Getting There From Honolulu | Trip Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl Harbor National Memorial | Oahu | National Memorial | 15-min drive via H-1 | Easy half-day |
| Hawaii Volcanoes | Big Island | National Park | Fly to Hilo or Kona, then drive | Separate island trip |
| Puuhonua o Honaunau | Big Island | National Historical Park | Fly to Kona, then ~40-min drive | Separate island trip |
| Haleakala | Maui | National Park | Fly to Kahului, then drive to summit | Separate island trip |
| Kalaupapa | Molokai | National Historical Park | Guided fly-in tour only (permit required) | Separate island trip |
Honest take: do not try to “day trip” the Big Island or Maui parks from Honolulu. The flights are short, but with airport time, a rental car, and the drive to each park, you will spend most of the day in transit. Build these into a multi-island itinerary instead.
1. Pearl Harbor National Memorial (The Only Oahu Site)
Getting there from Honolulu: About 15 minutes by car via H-1 W. Island: Oahu. Designation: National Memorial. Fee: Free entry; the USS Arizona Memorial program requires a $1 timed reservation per person through Recreation.gov.
This is the one true local trip, and it is one of the most moving historic sites in the country. Pearl Harbor National Memorial marks the December 7, 1941 attack that drew the United States into World War II. The centerpiece is the USS Arizona Memorial, built over the sunken battleship that remains the final resting place for most of the 1,177 crew killed that morning.
Honest caveat: the visitor center and museum galleries are free and walk-up, but the boat program out to the Arizona Memorial books up fast. Reserve your timed ticket online well ahead, especially in summer. Bags are not allowed past security, so travel light.
Best things to do: Take the USS Arizona Memorial boat program, walk the two exhibit galleries at the visitor center, and add the neighboring Battleship Missouri Memorial and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (both separate, ticketed attractions).
2. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Big Island, A Flight Away)
Getting there from Honolulu: Fly to Hilo (about 50 minutes), then drive roughly 45 minutes to the park. Kona is also an option with a longer drive. Island: Hawaii (the Big Island). Designation: National Park. Fee: $30 per vehicle, valid 7 days. Note that non-resident entrance fee changes took effect January 1, 2026.
This is Hawaii’s flagship park and one of the few places on earth where you can stand near an active volcano. Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, is in the middle of an episodic eruption, with short fountaining bursts separated by quiet pauses. Whether you catch lava depends entirely on timing, but the otherworldly landscape of craters, lava tubes, and steam vents is remarkable regardless.
Honest caveat: the main Kilauea Visitor Center is closed for renovation through summer 2026, with a temporary welcome center operating at Kilauea Military Camp. Check the park’s eruption updates and air-quality (vog) alerts before you go, since volcanic gas can close areas with little notice.
Watch Our Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Film
Journey with More Than Just Parks as we discover a land shaped by fire.
Best things to do: Walk the Kilauea Iki Crater trail across a former lava lake, explore the Thurston Lava Tube, see the Puu Loa petroglyphs, and drive Chain of Craters Road down to the coast.
Facts About Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
3. Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (Big Island, A Flight Away)
Getting there from Honolulu: Fly to Kona (about 50 minutes), then drive roughly 40 minutes south. Island: Hawaii (the Big Island). Designation: National Historical Park. Fee: $20 per vehicle, valid 7 days.
On the Big Island’s Kona coast, this is one of the most important cultural sites in Hawaii. Puuhonua o Honaunau was a place of refuge where, until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke kapu (sacred law) could escape execution by reaching the sanctuary and being absolved by a priest. Today it preserves reconstructed hale (traditional houses), carved kii images, temple platforms, and royal fishponds. It pairs naturally with a Hawaii Volcanoes trip since both are on the Big Island.
Best things to do: Walk the half-mile self-guided tour of the Royal Grounds, watch traditional Hawaiian craft demonstrations, hike a section of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, and snorkel the “Two Step” reef just outside the park boundary.
4. Haleakala National Park (Maui, A Flight Away)
Getting there from Honolulu: Fly to Kahului, Maui (about 40 minutes), then drive to the summit district (roughly 1.5 hours) or to the coastal Kipahulu district near Hana (a long, winding drive). Island: Maui. Designation: National Park. Fee: $30 per vehicle, valid 3 days.
Haleakala is my personal favorite of the Hawaii parks. The summit district crowns a dormant volcano above the clouds, with a vast crater-like valley that many consider the finest sunrise in the National Park System. The separate Kipahulu district on the coast is the lush opposite: waterfalls, bamboo forest, and rainforest near Hana.
Honest caveat: watching sunrise at the summit requires an advance reservation ($1 per vehicle through Recreation.gov, released 60 days out) on top of the entrance fee. It is cold and windy up there before dawn, so bring real layers. The summit and Kipahulu districts are not connected by a road inside the park.
Watch Our Haleakala Film
Journey with us to the house of the sun and discover ancient volcanoes, rugged mountains, dense rainforests, and hidden beaches.
Best things to do: Watch sunrise from the summit (with a reservation), hike into the crater on the Sliding Sands Trail, drive the Road to Hana, and walk the Pipiwai Trail to 400-foot Waimoku Falls in Kipahulu.
More on the hike to Waimoku Falls in Haleakala’s Kipahulu district
5. Kalaupapa National Historical Park (Molokai, Fly-In Tour Only)
Getting there from Honolulu: A guided fly-in tour only. Island: Molokai. Designation: National Historical Park. Access: State permit required; visitors must be 16 or older.
This is the most remote and the most sobering site on the list. The Kalaupapa peninsula, walled off by 2,000-foot sea cliffs, served as a forced isolation settlement for people with Hansen’s disease (leprosy) from 1866 until the law was repealed in 1969. It is where Saint Damien and Saint Marianne Cope spent their lives caring for the exiled. A small number of former patients chose to remain, and the settlement honors their history.
Honest caveat: you cannot just show up. Public visits had been suspended since 2020 and resumed in September 2025 through a single authorized operator, the Kalaupapa Saints Tour, as a one-day trip that includes a round-trip flight from Honolulu on Mokulele Airlines. A state permit is required, and no one under 16 is allowed. The historic mule ride down the cliff trail has not resumed. Reserve well ahead and confirm current operations directly before booking flights.
Best things to do: Take the guided tour of the settlement and St. Philomena Church, learn the story of Father Damien and Mother Marianne, and take in the dramatic sea-cliff scenery of Molokai’s north shore.
More Things To Do Near Honolulu
- Diamond Head State Monument is a short drive from Waikiki and offers a steep, rewarding hike up an extinct volcanic crater with reservations required for non-residents.
- Waikiki Beach sits minutes from downtown Honolulu and is the easy first stop for most visitors.
- The Battleship Missouri and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum pair naturally with a Pearl Harbor visit and round out a full day of WWII history on Oahu.
- An island-hop itinerary is the right way to see the Big Island and Maui parks. See our full guide to the Hawaii National Parks.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial is the only National Park Service site on Oahu, about 15 minutes from downtown Honolulu. Hawaii’s two national parks, Hawaii Volcanoes and Haleakala, are on the Big Island and Maui and require an inter-island flight.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial on Oahu is the closest, a 15-minute drive from downtown. The nearest full national park is Hawaii Volcanoes on the Big Island, reached by a short flight to Hilo followed by about a 45-minute drive.
Yes, but only on a guided tour. Public access to Kalaupapa National Historical Park resumed in September 2025 through an authorized operator as a one-day fly-in tour from Honolulu. A state permit is required, visitors must be 16 or older, and you should confirm current operations before booking.
You should know that we do not just make this up. More Than Just Parks is a family operation. My sons Will and Jim have spent their adult lives exploring America’s national parks and public lands destinations. They have worked with the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the USDA, and the U.S. Forest Service for years, and their work has been featured in leading publications around the world. I taught American history for 25 years, and I write our history and travel guides.
Helpful Related Articles
Hawaii National Parks Guide: Expert guide to the Hawaii National Parks
Hawaii Volcanoes Guide: Expert guide to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Things to Do at Hawaii Volcanoes: Best things to do at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Haleakala Highlight: The hike to Waimoku Falls on the Pipiwai Trail
National Parks Ranked: All 63 U.S. National Parks ranked by experts
