Lyon Arboretum — Attraction in Honolulu

I think this place is a hidden gem. Beautiful hike with so many trails to explore. I was all beached out and missing the trees so I came to the Manoa falls trail and found this place due to getting lost. I booked a reservation (free) online for the next day and came to explore. The workers and volunteers here have maintained a well manicured garden, a veritable jungle protecting ascension species and taking out non native and invasive plants. One of the volunteers was very friendly and encouraged me to sign up to volunteer as well. I'm so glad I did. I got to talk and spend a few hours working alongside people who have a great deal of knowledge along with a great sense of humor. They were very kind to me and patient in explaining how to do the work. I learned a lot from them. This place needs volunteers so call and ask about signing up. I had to leave to fly back home the very same day otherwise I was planning on returning and volunteering here again. I can not put into words the feeling of peace, the wonderful smells and the sheer sensation of awe and belonging that I experienced here just stopping for a moment and taking in the majestic views. It was pretty neat even just stopping mid hike and looking around at the trees, flowers, frogs, skyward or even at the ground. So much to take in. I felt this was one of the best experiences I've had not just on the island but in life lately. 11/10...

This was one of my favorite place to visit in Oahu! Oahu has so many wonderful places but I loved this because it was unexpected and wonderful. If you go to Monoa falls this is a must see place. I would even say if you had a choice between Monoa and Lyon, I would pick Lyon Arboretum.

We checked in at the visitor center and paid the $5 suggested donation per person. Got a map and away we went.

For someone who gets lost easily, this botanical garden is a wonderful place to do it. About 15 minutes into our visit we went off the paved path. We thought we were traipsing all through the garden for about an hour only to find out that we were at 1I and not 11 on the map which is about 3/4 of the way to the waterfall. This meant we were pretty much at the beginning. We had gone up and down and all around. The hike is beautiful - very muddy since it was raining when we were there. They do have a hose that you can spray down your shoes near the parking lot.

I absolutely enjoyed my time there and wished I could’ve stayed longer.

We were lucky that we were able to go in. Apparently live action Moana was going to be filmed there the week we were there. Luckily they were not...

Lush tropical botanical gardens amidst the existing rain forest at the back of Manoa Valley, conveniently located minutes from downtown Honolulu. The main trails have been improved with laid gravel to reduce the typical mud found on most of Hawaii's rain forest trails. There is a section that showcases Polynesian canoe plants the Hawaiians brought to these islands to settle here (Hawaii has no good sources of carbohydrates in the existing flora). You may see wild sulphur crested cockatoos here...Australian parrot escapees from a tourist concession that went out of business nearby, as well as hear the magical shama...Hawaii's greatest songbird (introduced from Malaysia). The trail becomes increasingly more wild as you approach the back of the valley ending up at a small jungle waterfall (dry in periods of no rain). There is a $5 suggested donation to the University of Manoa who owns this property, given at the office next to the parking lot. The office will also provide...