Camp Harold R. Erdman Branch YMCA

Such a great venue to spend the summer with a large group of teenagers or young adults! Perfect for disconnecting from social media, reconnecting with others, and making tons of memories with family and friends!Cabins available for rent. They present as warm and cozy. Lots of huge meeting spaces, both indoors and outdoors.Unfortunately for people like me who are deathly afraid of heights I was unable to skip the portion of climbing up high and zip lining. I shook the whole time.Would recommend if you needed to accommodate a large group with lots of energy and need to be busy.

I don't consider myself a "camp" kind of person, and this place sort of confirmed that. That said, my son (7yo) generally had a good time on a recent 3-day/2-night field trip up here, but I don't know that I would send him for an overnight camp here - at least not until he's a bit older.POSITIVES:- Cabins. I didn't see too many creepy crawlies (more than one would expect for a camp) - a few large-ish ants in the cabin, but nothing dodgy in the bunks. They were as comfortable as you would think a cabin mattress would be. A particularly nice touch was electrical outlets at the head of each bunk - especially for grownups with devices to charge. Toilet and shower in the cabin, plus a shower/bathroom house in the middle.- Swimming pool. The first day, they abandoned the swim test and just put all the kids in life vests. My son is not a strong swimmer, and this eased my mind, plus made it more equitable so that the weaker swimmers didn't feel self-conscious about it.-The staff. Most were friendly and energetic and good with kids. Special shout-out to Emma, who my son remembered days later by name and said he liked. They kept our kids engaged, though they did have a lot of chaperones at the ready to help. Kitchen staff were also welcoming and friendly and made more coffee for the grownups when we drained the carafe.- Archery. Emma also took all appropriate safety precautions seriously at the archery range and it was a highlight of my son's camp experience. I was surprised they didn't have arm guards for us, but we didn't wind up with any string slaps.- Location. It's beautiful and felt very much a world away from Honolulu. We had glorious weather and loved our sunset time on the beach before the campfire night. (FYI, mobile signal is nearly nonexistent. There is wi-fi near the main buildings but nothing in the cabins especially if you're close to the mountains - I actually had the best mobile coverage on the beach) NEGATIVES:- The food. I tried to be gracious, but oh dear it was bad. Family-style, so only one main/side/veg/sweet, though if you had dietary restrictions, there were options for you (though they were pretty grim). At breakfast, a couple cereal choices as alternatives to the hot breakfast would have been very much appreciated. Granted, our group was the only one there at the time, and I understand that options cost money, but there also seemed to be a ton of food waste that could have been prevented with either choices or a buffet. Apparently there was a salad bar in the past, but that could have been a COVID-era sacrifice or else a function of our group numbers. Anyhow, my kid is average small-kid-kine picky and he was HANGRY a few times during camp because he didn't want to eat what was served. Thankfully we had brought some snacks with us. Something like pizza, cookout food (hot dogs/hamburgers), sandwiches could have gone a long way toward guaranteeing these kiddos were fueled for their days.- Limited activities. Our kids were crazy over the gaga ball, and they wound up doing that a lot. They had "Malama 'Aina" on the schedule, which I figured would be something like a beach cleanup or ecology lesson outdoors. It wound up being more like gaga ball flavored with a little bit of education on invasive species. Cool application, but when the camp is surrounded by nature, I felt like that could have been leveraged better. Same for an activity on the last morning that I wasn't there for. Maybe that's a function of reduced experiences coming off COVID restrictions? Hard to say, but it didn't feel like things were completely back to what they might have been pre-pandemic. They also had a scavenger hunt scheduled late in the evening which had kids running around everywhere in the dark which didn't seem safe and would have been better earlier in the day.- First aid response. My kid got knocked down during a game and wound up with a scraped knee and elbow. I get it, keiki get scrapes, but he came to me in tears and I had to go seek out someone for bandaids and some neosporin while the counselor continued on with the activity. If I hadn't been there, would he have gotten better attention?- Chaperone downtime. We had a LOT of grownups (nearly a 1:1 ratio) for our group, and I wish I had known ahead of time that there would be a decent amount of down time for the adults while the focus was on the kids' activities and games and I would have brought something to do or read. Or a parallel activity for adults might have been nice.Overall, we had a good (not excellent) school trip experience. Maybe I'm an over-protective mama bear, but I'd have a few reservations sending my particular keiki to an overnight summer camp week any time soon.

The last time I went to this camp was when I was about 10 years old. A lot has changed here. It's located far far away in North Shore side kind of where Kaena point (the other side) is. This camping adventure was organized by my supervisor and me as the assistant. We were planning this summer camping adventure for children of all ages. We came here to scope the place. After comparing this camp with other camps, YMCA is the best deal on the island for a big group. The director was very cooperative with us. They were able to provide us with bus transportation. The package deal includes a couple of hours of activities coordinated by the YMCA leaders/volunteers. It teaches teamwork, risk-taking, bravery, and leadership. Very age appropriate and the kids loved it. At night we can do a bonfire but bring your own smore ingredients. It's near the beach also. Very beautiful! It includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The meal was pretty good. Family style but can ask for more. The cabins were decent and clean. Beware of mosquitoes. It's mostly bunk beds. The bathroom was pretty clean. Can't expect too much at a campsite. It was a fun expereince! Parking available. Don't forget sunscreen! It's really hot. You can also hike to Kaena point from there.

This past Veterans Day weekend the 107th ASUH senate and I had the pleasure of staying over at Camp Erdman. It was my first time there and honestly it was really nice being away from town and just being so far out near the ocean. It really puts you in that summer camp feel, since there were literal cabins, children, as well as fun activities to help bring you and your squad together as a team.The food was fun and homey, with lunch being grilled cheese and tomato soup; dinner being chicken and rice; and breakfast being waffles and sausage links. The cabins were..humbling. There were bunk beds and it can get a little stuffy in them but again, it's nice to experience something different. We stayed in the Cole family cabin, which is the bigger cabin. Bunk beds, sandy floors, hot in the day but cooler in the night. Nevertheless, the cabins are where the true bonding happened. As well as the beach right behind the cabins. And the odyssey.If you can do the odyssey--as an individual and as an individual alongside others--you can do ANYTHING. My body is still recovering from having to maneuver my way through the thin wires up 40+ feet in the air. Would I do it again? Sure. Am I okay for now because I already did it? You bet.Thank you camp Erdman for making even November feel like a fun, summer camp experience.

AWESOME! I don't camp anymore. If I did, this is definitely how I would do it. Flashbacks of my childhood came to me as soon as the bus stopped in front of the the main building at Camp Erdman. Did you grow up here too? Let me help you have a few flashbacks too:http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ymca-camp-hr-erdman-waialua?select=U0_VULeKu93r_V-oQUB_6Q#U0_VULeKu93r_V-oQUB_6QEverything seems smaller now that I'm much bigger. Strangely enough, everything looked vaguely familiar but the best part was seeing everything through a child's eyes all over again! Do you remember the cabins? Yes, that's the only way I would camp...they have bunk beds, hot showers, flushing toilets, whatddya know, it's almost like the Hyatt. They painted the cabins mustard yellow for LOST and even left the Dharma sign up for the die hard fans:http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ymca-camp-hr-erdman-waialua?select=U0_VULeKu93r_V-oQUB_6Q#tKqvvoJVGe6CDbKcmSAzkADo you remember the bonfire by the beach? http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ymca-camp-hr-erdman-waialua?select=U0_VULeKu93r_V-oQUB_6Q#PkO12xkJ0N3ka1dAXeaz8Qhttp://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ymca-camp-hr-erdman-waialua?select=8MPObAkoD6zNLCleibiFUA#S0yPBSbUBbSJOL33pukNQwEVERYTHING IS THE SAME. It's like time hasn't touched this place. This is definitely still a great experience. The kids even loved KP duty in the mess hall. The one thing new that I don't remember from before is the ropes course. It's on the mountain side of the road before you get to the cabins. Can't wait to see the kids in action on that in a few years!If you want to experience Camp Erdman all over again too, there are several options, so check out their website!SUMMER CAMP!You can sign your kid up for summer camp if you're looking for somewhere to send them but you have to register by March 15th! They offer horsemanship and surfing camps on the side as well!www.ymcahonolulu.org/camp_erdmanFAMILY CAMPS occur four times a year, Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. It would be a great bonding experience for the family and you wouldn't have to worry about cooking or pitching your tent or worrying about the rain and the memories would last forever! http://www.ymcahonolulu.org/camp_erdman/programs/family_campShout out to Keahi K. who is in charge of the school programs. He was awesome and the kids had a blast despite the inclement weather. Keep up the great programs and see you next year! Same time, same place!

My son is at the Camp as we speak... but they are returning today, after one night of their planned 2 night stay. The reason?BED BUGS!I'm sorry for having to leave this review on only one aspect of their stay, but it's a pretty serious thing. You would think that when children are involved, they would take the effort to check living quarters before they arrive... unless they did try and failed to eradicate them, but chose not to tell because they were afraid of losing revenue.I really feel bad for the kids as this was supposed to be the "make up" days as their original dates were postponed due to the Hurricane Lane scare.

We go to camp erdman once a year and the prices keep going up and the service keeps getting worst. To top that off, the food is terrible and the cabins are still in poor condition. In our cabin, our window had a hole where you could actually climb through and steal belongings. The toilets we're brown on the inside and the facility bathroom by the theater round smelled like urine. Camp fire acts were better in years past but that's the only positive I can mention. Also, upstairs second floor cafeteria there is a big safety hazard. The rail for that level is cracked and shaking. It looks like it will fall off soon. Someone could get seriously hurt. No caution tape or sign warning us of the cracked loose rail upstairs.

Me and my family rented a couple of yurts for 2 nights for my 25th birthday and we all absolutely loved it! Including my pregnant sister who does not like camping but was forced to come because her sister (me) loves camping.... No one bothered us, we had our privacy, we had the beach to ourselves, the beds were not bad, the lanai was the best, everything we needed was provided (towels, blankets, mini fridge, grill, kitchen utensil, plastic plates, forks and spoons, coffee maker, fan, and toilet paper. This was the best camping experience!

I go to this camp every year and I LOVE IT SO MUCH my favorite camp ever! so much activities and fun!!! foods pretty good just would recommend bringing snacks if you get bullied here it's not the camps fault that your skill issue

I was really looking forward for my 11 y.o. boy to get an awesome experience at YMCA Camp Erdman during Session #2, 2023. But, unfortunately, what he got was quite the opposite:1. Bullying. My kid was visibly depressed when we were picking him up on the last day from the camp. He refused to talk about the camp, or answer any questions, while on the camp grounds or when we started driving back home. Eventually, half an hour later into the ride he started crying. The only explanation we could get out of him, through the tears, was that ALL of the kids in his cabin were taunting him, calling names, inventing nicknames and doing whatever possible to make him miserable. My kid is way above average size in relation to his peers and crying is not a usual routine. However, I guess when you get stuck in a cabin with 10 other boys bullying you for a week then the attitude will change. I asked whether anyone else got the same treatment and the answer was no. There were about 10 kids in his cabin and 2 "counselors" - a couple of ~18y.o. guys to watch after them. HERE IS A BIG QUESTION TO MANAGEMENT: what were your "counselors", doing during the week? Was it that hard to spot this kind of bullying? I would not bother to write any review at all regarding the rest of the points, which are insignificant and pale in comparison with bullying. 2. Neglected communication. Phones were prohibited but the Parent's Handbook promised email communication:"To send letters to your camper, email [email protected] with camper's name and cabin number in the subject line. Emails are printed and given to campers Mon-Thu after lunch." I emailed by boy twice during the week asking whether he had any issues, and if he needed the items he forgot to pack. He never got any emails and did not have a chance to respond.3. "Counselors" eating snacks in front of kids. Food was fine but there were no in-between snacks. That would not be a complain if the "counselors" were not eating snacks in front of kids all the time, while telling them that snack are prohibited in the cabin.4. Disgusting Bathrooms. I had a chance to visit the bathroom closest to cabin #29 while picking up my kid. My kid strongly advised me from going there because it was "disgusting"... I've seen a lot of public bathrooms on the island and this one was the worst without exaggeration. Guys, with such number of stuff that's a shame. If you are so busy then make the kids do the work. That's how you teach to respect the place. But to let it be in that condition... 5. No hiking or ocean activities. The camp is located on beautiful grounds. But, per my kid, there was no hiking or ocean activities. I understand it might be a liability. But then again, with 1:5 staff to kids ratio...