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Mālaekahana State Recreation Area, Lāie, HI

Photo: Shayan (USA) from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Mālaekahana State Recreation Area

A wooded beach park on Oahu's north shore offering swimming, bodysurfing, shore fishing, picnicking, and camping.

Lāie, HI

About Mālaekahana State Recreation Area

Mālaekahana State Recreation Area is a wooded beachfront park on the island of Oahu. Visitors can swim, bodysurf, fish from the shore, and take part in other beach activities. Picnic areas and campsites are offered at the Kalanai Point section and the Kahuku section. Camping requires a permit and a reservation made through the state's online booking system. Parts of the northern Kahuku section have been affected by a major improvement project that began in 2023 and may limit access and camping at times. The state has also sought proposals from operators to develop and run a commercial campground and day-use beach park there.

  • #beach
  • #swimming
  • #bodysurfing
  • #shore fishing
  • #picnicking

What's around here?

The closest stops to Mālaekahana State Recreation Area, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Polynesian Cultural Center

    $25–$50

    Walk through six Pacific island villages, watch the Huki canoe show and stay for the evening stage show Ha: Breath of Life in Laie.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Iconic

    Banzai Pipeline

    No admission fee

    Watch expert surfers ride hollow, tubular waves breaking over a shallow reef off Ehukai Beach Park on Oahu's North Shore.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    7.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Waimea Valley

    $25–$50

    A sacred valley on Oahu's North Shore with themed botanical gardens, cultural sites, guided tours, and the Waimea Falls swimming area.

    7.9 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Iconic

    Waimea Bay

    No admission fee

    Swim and snorkel in a crescent-shaped North Shore bay in summer, or watch surfers ride towering waves in winter.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    8.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Iconic

    Kualoa Ranch

    $50+

    Tour a 4,000-acre working ranch on Oahu's windward coast by UTV, horse, zipline or bus past well-known movie locations.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    12 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Dole Plantation

    No admission fee

    Ride the Pineapple Express train, wander a giant garden maze and try Dole Soft Serve at this plantation stop in Wahiawa.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    12 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions