15 Best Things to Do on Oʻahu’s North Shore
From the world-renowned Pipeline Beach to the beautiful hiking and camping in both the Koʻolau and Waiʻanae Mountain Ranges, the North Shore of Oʻahu is one of the most diverse areas on the island, stretching more than 35.0 miles (56.3 km) from Punaluʻu to Kaʻena Point.
For this reason, I truly believe there’s something for every kind of visitor on the North Shore—from snorkeling to great food to beautiful trails and world-class ocean tours! Therefore, seeing it all really takes time in all different seasons to truly appreciate the vastness in all of the things to do!
15 Best Things to Do on Oʻahu’s North Shore
The following list is written in no particular order of best or worst. However, for many of these recommendations, you would ideally have a rental car. That being said, consider booking one of the guided options below if you are visiting Oʻahu without one, as they can be a great choice to get both to and from Waikīkī!
More importantly, the waves and surf during the winter are nothing to take lightly, and getting in the water during any time of the year when there’s a swell is most definitely not advised. However, this is also when it’s best to sit back, relax, and watch the best surfers in the world do what they do best!
1. Sunset Beach
Of all the beaches across the North Shore, Sunset Beach in Pūpūkea stands alone for being the best year-round place to watch the sunset!
By this, I mean that between the seasons, the sunset varies from north to south, sometimes setting behind Kaʻena Point off in the distance.
However, Sunset Beach is located in just the right spot, so that you can sit back and hopefully enjoy the green flash on a clear Hawaiʻi evening!
Google Maps Directions: Sunset Beach
2. ʻEhukai Pillbox Trail
Distance: 1.3 miles / 2.0 km
The ʻEhukai Pillbox Trail is a visitor and local favorite, especially for watching the sunset from this upper vantage point above Pūpūkea.
Furthermore, this North Shore adventure is a great kid-friendly day hike, and either pillbox makes for one of the best places to watch the big waves roll into the island come winter!
Read My Separate Post: ʻEhukai Pillbox Trail
3. Shark Diving Tour
Out of all the islands, Oʻahu has the best shark tours!
I have a good friend who works for the most popular Oʻahu shark tour company, and this is how he describes the difference between a cage and cageless experience.
In terms of safety, there is no difference between a cage and cageless tour. It’s purely about your comfort level. From what my friend has said, the sharks get a lot closer to you during a tour with the cage than without. Without the cage, they tend to circle at a deeper depth below your feet.
In any case, choose a time for the first boat of the morning. Compared to later in the day, the morning is typically when the water is the most glassy, and the winds are the calmest. This is all to say that you have less of a chance at getting seasick if you go early.
I hope this helps when making your decision!
4. Kaʻena Point Trail & Pillbox
Distance (West Side): 2.1 miles / 3.4 km
Distance (North Shore): 2.4 miles / 3.9 km
Kaʻena Point State Park, on the northwest side of Oʻahu, is home to one of the island’s longest undeveloped coastlines, where visitors can hike one of two different trails, beginning from either the North Shore in Mokulēʻia or the West Side past Mākua and Keawaʻula Bay.
That said, both the North and West Kaʻena Point Trails are very similar coastal trails, but in many ways, they could not be more different from one another. Therefore, I highly recommend reading my side-by-side comparison at the beginning of either article linked below to learn more about which route sounds most interesting to you.
In any case, the Kaʻena Point Trail from either direction can be extended by hiking up the Kaʻena Point Pillbox Trail to the WWII-era bunker above Kaʻena Point, which makes for one of the best year-round sunset hikes on Oʻahu!
Read My Separate Post: Kaʻena Point (North Shore) / Kaʻena Point (West Side)
5. Banzai Bowls
There’s a lot of açaí bowls to choose from on Oʻahu, but none stand out to me as much as Banzai Bowls on the North Shore!
I say this because everything on their menu is always a good choice, and other places on the island don’t give you as much value for your money.
For these reasons, I recommend checking them out at either of their two North Shore locations: Haleʻiwa and Sunset Beach.
Yelp: Banzai Bowls
6. Kawela Bay
Do you remember the beach from the second Hunger Games movie..? Well, yes, that is Kawela Bay, and it’s located within walking distance of the beautiful Turtle Bay Resort.
Overall, Kawela Bay is a quiet, calm, kid-friendly beach that makes for a great place to escape the crowds at other, more popular beaches across the North Shore, like Laniākea Beach.
Google Maps Directions: Kawela Bay
7. Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck
Since the early 1950s, Giovanni’s Shrimp has been a long-time community favorite on the North Shore of Oʻahu, and their 'signature' white truck has been at the center of it all, attracting both locals and visitors from around the world to try their famous garlic shrimp plate!
Over the years, the original white truck in Kahuku and also Haleʻiwa has become an iconic roadside stop, as satisfied customers have covered their trucks in graffiti-style signatures, affirming its status as a must-see destination for those visiting Oʻahu.
All that being said, yes, Giovanni’s is one of the more touristy places to eat on Oʻahu, but it’s popular because it’s so good! It makes for a great, easy spot to grab lunch if you’re heading to or from Kawela Bay, which I could not recommend more. And if someone in your group isn’t up for shrimp, there are tons of other places to grab food within walking distance, including Seven Brothers Burgers, which I talk more about below!
Yelp: Giovanni’s Shrimp
8. Snorkeling at Kapoʻo (Shark’s Cove)
Kapoʻo, or more commonly known as Shark’s Cove, is one of Oʻahu’s most popular snorkeling destinations because some of the best places to enjoy the turquoise-blue water are only a short swim from the beach!
That being said, the water clarity typically gets better and better the further you swim out past the waves that stir up the sediment, which is exactly where this photo was taken.
However, snorkeling at Shark’s Cove, or getting in the water anywhere on the North Shore, is a summer-only activity, as the ocean simply becomes too dangerous to access places like Kapoʻo when the large winter sets are rolling in!
All said, you may want to consider booking a tour on either the North or West Side of Oʻahu when this is the case, as these local operators know exactly how to find the best conditions when the ocean isn’t otherwise accessible from shore.
Google Maps Direction: Kapoʻo (Shark’s Cove)
9. Private Surf Lessons
If this is your first time learning how to surf, I highly recommend private surfing lessons!
That being said, 2-3 ft. (1 m) waves are generally a perfect size to learn on, but if it’s your first time, I would not recommend going out on your own. Instead, I recommend learning from one of the full-time instructors in Haleʻiwa.
To book your experience, the first option is great to learn at a local beginner surf break on the North Shore, or consider one of the second two options if you’d like to learn in Waikīkī.
10. The Sunrise Shack
From a dream to the reality of four Hawaiʻi-born North Shore professional surfers, the Sunrise Shack is an amazing local coffee and açaí favorite that can be found at locations all across Oʻahu.
Originally, their first location opened in Pūpūkea at Sunset Beach on the North Shore in 2016, and since, their amazing locally owned and operated dream has since expanded to a number of different locations, including one in Waikīkī and others scattered across the island!
Yelp: The Sunrise Shack
11. Seven Brothers Burgers
With locations spread across the North Shore, Seven Brothers Burgers is a local favorite for specialty burgers, fries, and shake!
They have four North Shore locations: one in Lāʻie, Kahuku, Shark’s Cove, and in Haleʻiwa.
Personally, I like to go to Seven Brothers in Lāʻie after a long day hike, such as Kōloa Gulch, but be aware that Seven Brothers is closed on Sundays.
Yelp: Seven Brothers
12. Kōloa Gulch Trail
Distance: 12.0 - 14.0 miles / 19.3 - 22.5 km
The Kōloa Gulch Trail is one of my favorite waterfall hikes on Oʻahu, but this doesn’t go without saying that Kōloa Gulch is the most challenging and involved day hike on this list.
That being said, Kōloa is not for the faint of heart, as the trail requires good navigational skills and most importantly, good weather!
To learn more about this challenging but beautiful trail, I encourage you to read more in my separate post.
Read My Separate Post: Kōloa Gulch Trail
13. Horseback Riding (North Shore & Kualoa)
Typically speaking, the North Shore of Oʻahu can be busy on any given day of the week. However, the northeast side of the North Shore, from Kahuku to as far south as Kualoa Ranch, is pretty much the exact opposite of what you can expect from Haleʻiwa to Pūpūkea. It’s quiet, there’s less traffic, and this is exactly where you can have the opportunity to ride horse on a few of Oʻahu’s secluded beaches and trails.
Additionally, all of these options make for a very easy and conveinient adventure if you’re staying at or near the Turtle Bay Resort.
14. Camping at Peacock Flats [4x4 Needed]
Peacock Flats is a large public campground located in the heart of the Waiʻanae Mountain Range, with nearby trails that lead to some of my favorite overlooks on the entire island! That being said, getting to Peacock Flats can be tricky for out-of-state visitors with no family or friends on the island. However, if you plan properly, you can enjoy one of the best drive-up camp spots on Oʻahu!
How to Camp at Peacock Flats?
Book your Reservation - Reservations are required through the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, and they may not be easy to come by. From experience, it’s best to reserve your dates right when they are released, with weekdays always being easier to book than weekends.
Book Here: Peacock Flats Permits
Drive [4x4 Needed] - The second most important thing that you will need is a 4x4 vehicle to drive, or if you don’t have one, there is the option to hike the 3.6-mile (5.8 km) trail from the North Shore to the campground. This is what truly makes this a North Shore adventure, as this will most likely be the practical option for out-of-state visitors.
If you choose to drive, the 4x4 drive begins up the road at the Space Force Tracking Station just before Yokohama Beach on the West Side. It’s here that you will present your permit and IDs of all those listed on the permit to the guard. If it’s a private vehicle, make sure the registration and safety inspection are current and accessible, as they may ask to see.
From here, you will drive up the road and usually be escorted through the base until the start of the 4x4 road on public land. If you don’t know where you are going, download a map beforehand because there are multiple roads through the forest reserve. At the end of the long and bumpy 7-8 mile (11.3-12.9 km) road, you finally arrive at Peacock Flats, where there are a few campgrounds spread throughout the open area.
Google Maps Directions: Kaʻena Point Space Force Access Point
Hike (North Shore) - To hike to Peacock Flats, you follow an entirely paved but steep road starting from Oʻahu’s North Shore in Mokulēʻia, all the way to the campground—about 3.6 miles (5.8 km) each way.
To learn more about this option, I encourage you to check out my separate linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Mokulēʻia Access Road
15. Hauʻula Loop Trail
Distance: 2.7 miles / 4.3 km
The Hauʻula Loop Trail is one of the North Shore’s best hidden gems, and in my opinion, it’s one of the best trail running hikes on Oʻahu!
All said, the Hauʻula Loop Trail is a great kid-friendly adventure, and based on where it’s located on the North Shore, I recommend the trail as a morning to midday adventure because the beautiful forest is best enjoyed when the light shining through is at its brightest!
Read My Separate Post: Hauʻula Loop Trail
Native Hawaiian Plants on Oʻahu
I wanted to include this last section on this post because this is a subject that’s personal to me.
The native plant biodiversity in Hawaiʻi is insane! 90% of the native plants that you will see around the islands are found nowhere else on earth, and I say these things for two reasons.
The first is that I ask that you please do everything you possibly can to minimize your impact on our trails because so many of our native plants are at risk of extinction. The second is that if you have personal interest in the subject or may be curious about something that you found, I wrote a separate post entirely about native Hawaiian plants. I wrote it to help others around Hawaiʻi ID anything that you might be curious about.
For example, this species in the photo below can only be found on the island of Oʻahu and nowhere else on earth.
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
