Places on Oahu: The Sand Island State Recreation Area

Basic Information

• Name: Sand Island State Recreation Area
• Where: Honolulu, Hawaii
• Cost: Free entrance; camping fee: $12
• Hours: April 1 to Labor Day: 7 am to 7:45 pm
• After Labor Day to March 31:  7 am to 6:45 pm
• More Information: Division of State Parks website

Directions

Getting to the Sand Island State Recreation Area is actually fairly easy.  From either direction of the H-1 Freeway exit off of it on to the Nimitz Highway.  Near the H1 off ramp there is turn that needs to be made on to the Sand Island Access Road.  Most of the large trucks heading down this road since Sand Island is a large industrial area.  Stay on this road until it ends at the Sand Island State Recreation Area.  Keep in mind that though the directions are simple the commute time could take a while depending on traffic.

Parking

The Sand Island State Recreation Area is very large and has parking spread out around the park.  The lots are all very large and I have never seen them filled up before.

Narrative

A hidden gem of a park located just minutes from downtown Honolulu is the Sand Island State Recreation Area.  Sand Island used to be known as “Quarantine Island” because it was where in the 1800’s immigrants traveling to Hawaii suspected of carrying disease were kept at.  The island would go on to be a place of confinement during World War II when it became the first internment camp of Japanese-American citizens on the island.  Approximately 600 people were housed in the internment camp before it closed in 1943 and was the internees were moved to the newly constructed Honouliuli Internment Camp.

Today Sand Island is a major industrial area on Oahu that is covered in warehouses and port facilities.  The southern coast of the island however has been set aside as a state park:

I come by the Sand Island State Recreation here occasionally with my kids since they like to play on the large train playground near the entrance to the park:

From the playground area there are some really nice views of downtown Honolulu:

Here is a view of the iconic Aloha Tower as seen from Sand Island:

Here is an even closer look at the Aloha Tower which is one of the most recognizable buildings in Honolulu:

Another section of the Sand Island Recreation Area is marked with this large elevated structure:

I do not know what this structure was for, but my guess is that it was a military observation platform since below the structure there is a number of military fortifications and bunkers looking out over the shoreline:

Here is the view from the top of one of the fortifications looking out towards the shoreline:

From the old military base area I next walked over to the beach:

Considering the name of the island is “Sand Island” I would expect an expansive sandy beach.  Though the island does have a sand beach it is also riddled with rocks along the shoreline:

This means that I did not see anyone bodyboarding, surfing, or doing much of anything in the water:

The beach though at Sand Island State Recreation Area is very spacious with some great views of the ocean, Honolulu, and the iconic Diamond Head Crater:

You can read more about Diamond Head Crater at the below link:

Best Hikes on Oahu: Diamond Head Crater Trail

The beach ends on the east side of the park where views of the Pacific Ocean entering Keehi Lagoon can be seen:

You can read more about Keehi Lagoon at the below link:

Kayak Routes on Oahu: Keehi Lagoon

At the lagoon I could see a number of people fishing off of the shoreline:

The views overlooking Keehi Lagoon also allows visitors to watch the endless stream of aircraft taking off from the Honolulu International Airport:

From the beach I followed a trail that appeared to have been recently constructed through the scrub bushes back to the parking lot:

Conclusion

The Sand Island State Recreation Area is no where near being the best beach on Oahu, but it is an easy drive to get to and uncrowded.  The first time I went here I was actually concerned about homeless people overrunning this park since Sand Island is notorious for homelessness.  The personnel running the park though have done a good job keeping the homeless off of this beach.  I recommend this beach to locals looking for a different beach to check out near Honolulu.  Don’t let the reputation of Sand Island turn you off from visiting this nice recreation area.