Camp Olowalu — Attraction in Maui

If you’re looking at some of the negative reviews and are questioning your stay, consider reading on:

This place is a dream. But! It depends on your perspective. If you’re used to really roughing it, this is bougie camping! If you’re used to all the perks of staying in an A/C and element protected place…just relax. You’re camping!

Amenities: Bathrooms (each one has a toilet and sink with running water, mirror, shelf, hanging hook, overhead light at night, toilet paper was at least 2-ply!, and paper towels), outdoor private showers with hot water, 2 dish washing stations (full sink with running water), designated trash cans, ocean access, picnic tables, pavilion, and A CHARGING STATION! This place is clean, beautiful, and green. People were very respectful of the rules like no loud noises, parties, etc after like 10pm. They have other camping options as well like car camping and tentalows!

A note on the concerns others have mentioned: Wind/Dirt: My sister and I tent camped here when it was incredibly windy (a hurricane had just passed south of the main island heaving Maui with heavy winds and high surfs). Yes, there was quite a bit of dust in our tent each night we came back to it. However, we knew this was a possibility, so each morning we made sure to roll everything in a ball and zip suitcases so we could easily shake things out each night. You’re camping! It’s okay to be a little dirty: plus you have running showers in the morning to start your day. We were also using a cheap Walmart tent….haha. Would recommend bringing sheets instead of a sleeping bag (you’ll likely get way too hot at least in July)

Busy showers/bathrooms: We stayed here over a weekend, so we expected possible lines. The bathrooms are labeled for the site you’re in (i.e. “this bathroom for tent sites 1-12”). However, if there is a line at yours and you’re going to be quick, just use another. We never had an issue waiting at long lines for bathrooms or showers. People are generally good at just getting in and getting out.

Showers themselves: It heated up quite quickly in the morning so we were always taking cold/lukewarm showers by choice so we didn’t really even need hot water, but it’s there. Like most public shower places, you really should bring shower shoes. The stalls are very private with locking doors, place to sit your stuff, hanging hook, and are not see-through. They also dry out quickly with the heat of the day.

Small camping sites: We were surprised with the space our site had! I’m not sure if they are all that way, but there was way more space than we needed. I will say, it is a good idea to bring some extra tent footprint material of some kind. They aren’t kidding about the ground being rocks, roots, and dirt. We used a doubled-over tarp below the tent and then put a beach/sand mat down inside before putting our blow-up mattress pads down.

Car camping sites: now these ARE small. I was very surprised to see how little space these people had. It was full almost every night, so people make it work. However, I did not utilize one of these spots so I really don’t have any opinion here.

Chickens: We do like to sleep in until about 7ish, so ear plugs and eye mask were very helpful. Chickens were never a problem for us.

Charging station: there are at least 4 electrical plugs with 2 outlets on each for charging. Obviously don’t walk away from your stuff. This corner seemed a little busy at night, but we just plugged our things in each morning and sat on the bench while we ate breakfast. We never had to wait for a plug. The earlier the better though! As the sun gets higher it does beam down on this spot and heats everything up, so be careful.

OF NOTE! Cars are NOT allowed to drive to the tent sites. You have to park your vehicle and carry your things to the site. It’s not a far walk. However, some people bring their own carts. I think the front office has some for use as well.

Overall, this place is worth a visit! Reading reviews was super helpful in preparation and it made staying here an...

(initially posted to trip advisor) Being Canadian and growing up through the Boy Scout system, I'm no stranger to camping so reading the reviews, both positive and negative, the negative obviously more concerning, I was truly unsure of what to expect. As I had been to Maui before but only driving past the state parks where I saw many tents, Camp Olowalu is a place you will drive by if you aren't sure of where it is, as I did just that on my way from the Airport.

Since I really don't want to praise this place too much, because I am more worried I will have troubles getting a great tent spot the next time I go, I will just say that don't expect to be wowed at the first drive through. Since the tenting near the cabins is pretty wide open and close to each other, which is where I stayed for about 5 or 6 nights until I did find something further back, you may not find it to be that great. But then again, I wasn't here for a camping experience since I was here for a cheap place to sleep while I took in the island for a month! Since you are only allowed to stay for 14 nights (I believe it is a Hawaii state issue even though this is a private camp ground) they pretty much look the other way, and/or may tell you to move to a new camping site (just for the record books). The wind from the water made it a daily chore to sweep out the sand. Since I moved part way through my stay, to a site in the back that had more trees, I was never questioned about my length of stay and since there are some that pretty much live there, as others have been quoted in the reviews of noticing the full sized box springs in some tents, this didn't pose to be a problem as I befriended many 'locals' and had a wonderful time playing horse shoes on the beach.

This is a very busy place on the weekend with the cabins filling up with many parties from boys & girls club to birthdays and even a wedding reception while I was there. The most incredible thing I found in the 30 days I spent on this part of the island was that it never actually rained.. the rain would spray off of the mountain which would make it literally like liquid sunshine as there would be no clouds in the sky, yet you would feel this rain falling on you from the nearby mountain. A few nights you would hear the sprinkle of rain on the tent but it would soon subside. Yes, there were 8 inch centipedes which apparently sting, as well as some scorpions which I found in my sand shoes that I had left outside my tent one night so you do need to be aware.. after all you are camping and these are pretty much the only two creatures on the land that can pack a punch and quite possibly have you visiting the hospital as a result of their sting.

There is a cold water shower (two stalls and the water isn't that cold--quite refreshing actually) which are great--you can pay the $5 for a hot shower from the cabins I am told but I certainly didn't require that after a day at the beach this was all I required. As well, there is a full sized washer and dryer and charging station next to the parking lot. The proverbial plastic out-houses were a little nasty by the end of a long weekend but were cleaned out each and every Monday so that was fine with me.

So would I recommend this place to other campers? Yes, absolutely.. although I probably wouldn't suggest it if you have small children as they will just complain I am sure. But for a couple that want to get away, or for solo travellers like myself.. it worked great and I am already looking forward to going back.

FYI, I purchased a small backpackers tent, sleeping bag and mattress on Amazon before flying over there. It all fit in one suitcase so I did have two suitcases but since there is a Costco and Walmart on the island, you can buy a tent when you get there and save the extra baggage fees. I ended up giving my tent and cooler to the locals...

Before booking my stay at Camp Olowalu, I spent a considerable amount of time looking through the reviews. I'm glad that overall the reviews do reflect the great place that it is, and I wanted to give my feedback to encourage others to stay here.

The campground itself is super well maintained, and is located in a really convenient area (can easily drive anywhere in West or South Maui within 30-40min). There is a general store nearby for items you may need, but you are able to purchase ice and firewood at the camp office. Safeway in Lahaina was a quick 15min drive. The check-in process was super easy. I actually arrived after the office had closed but was able to self-check in via the Kiosk. Phone numbers were posted for guests requiring assistance.

The facilities were maintained and cleaned regularly, and hot water was never an issue for me. They have a water bottle filling station, as well as an area to wash dishes and charge electronics (should you require). There is access to a beach area (I didn't snorkel, but did see turtles here) and lots of fruit trees throughout the property. The briquet BBQs were option for guest to use. I wasn't stressed about the Wifi (though I found it worked fine) as it was so nice to disconnect from electronics and enjoy a slower pace of life.

For those who've previously commented on noise, yes the campground is located by the main highway. However, you don't really hear too much of the traffic and by evening most of it has died down (I personally couldn't hear it at all in my camper). The main producer of noise was if a fire or ambulance went by, which was maybe 1x a day.

My only annoyance with this site were the guests themselves. If you choose to stay here please DO NOT make this a dumping ground for your camping gear or left over food. It was disturbing to see how wasteful some of the guests were. I saw people leaving half used, full-sized condiments, whole bulk size boxes/bags of rice, crackers, etc., recently purchased barbeques, pots & pans, etc. Do your part to bring what you need with you and shop appropriately. If you have extra camping gear take it to a donation center. It you have left over food products in bottles, wash them out and recycle the bottle. It shouldn't up to the staff to deal with this. By all means, if you have small, shelf stable items (spices, kabob sticks, cooking spray) then contribute them to the share area. However, nobody wants your wet, used dish sponge or 1/4 full "3 in 1" shampoo bottle.

Travel tip for those coming to the site: check the share area for dish soap & clean sponges before you go shopping (this was a super common items left behind). Also, car camping sites 01 and 12 were my favorite as you didn't get as many people walking through your...