Cute bird's nest
Flowers
Entrance
2/7/23
Rachel M.
Dec 19, 2024
Beautiful, underrated place for kama'aina and tourists alike!Their reservation page will lead you to an Eventbrite page where you can choose between two time periods for your visit. I chose the earliest (9am - 11am) slot because I wanted to beat the heat and the crowds. Tickets are free but limited and release every Friday for the following week. I will note that when I checked in, I asked the staff if I need to be out by 11am and they said no, I can stay until closing if I want, so I think the time slots might've been from pandemic times.**You will likely have limited service in the visitor's center area and no service while on the trails so plan accordingly!**WHAT TO BRING/WEAR:- $10 cash per person (recommended donation). I'm not sure if they accept card for donations--I think they accepted cash or card for gift shop purchases though.- Walking shoes at a bare minimum, something you wouldn't mind getting dirty. Hiking shoes would be best.- Slippers/sandals in a plastic bag, especially if you're using a rental car. That way you can change out of your muddy shoes/damp socks and put them in the plastic bag when you return to your car.- Light-colored, loose fitting clothing with cuffs on the ends (recommended for mosquitoes)- Packable hat with a visor if you're like me and wear glasses (to help keep your glasses clear if rains).The following can be purchased at the gift shop if you forget them but also highly recommended to bring:- DEET-free insect spray. I used OFF Clean Feel spray that I picked up from Long's. I'm usually get mosquito bites the worst out of everyone but I didn't get a single bite!- Poncho. It didn't rain during my time there but it's Mānoa Valley so better to be safe than sorry.- Water bottles- SnacksPlease do not feed any of the animals in the arboretum (including birds) and do not pick any flowers, plants, or seeds. PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY and pay extra attention once you're no longer on the residential parts of Mānoa Road, as this part of the road starts to get narrower/more winding AND there can be many pedestrians (including keiki and parents carrying babies) walking their way up to/down from Mānoa Falls entrance AND the Mānoa Falls parking lot.You will first go through the Mānoa Falls parking lot. Just tell the guard that you're there for the Lyon Arboretum and plan to have your reservation ticket ready to show if needed. You will not need to pay. You'll drive PAST that parking lot (kinda on the left side), make a right, then drive up a bit more past the Mānoa Falls entrance on your right and staff parking on your left, then go around one final bend until you reach the Lyon Arboretum parking lot.Once you're parked, head to the east of the parking lot to the visitor center to check in. They'll give you a ticket to display on your dashboard. I highly recommend taking the free brochure that has the map on it, as there are many trails (some which aren't clearly marked) and it's easy to get lost.There are two clean, unisex bathrooms around the corner from the visitor's center. The one I went in didn't have a changing table so that's something to keep in mind if you have little ones with you. I highly recommend trying to use the bathroom while you're already in the area/before starting your trek--they're the only ones in the expansive arboretum!My plan was to head straight to the falls and then explore the side trails/other gardens on the way back down. I'm not an experienced hiker and I was by myself so I wanted to dedicate my energy to the uphill trek. I also wanted to beat the heat (again, I arrived early morning) and the groups of tourists that I saw checking in after me.I made a few stops along the way to take photos and drink water but stayed on the main trail up to the falls. It took me 30 minutes to reach the falls. There are a couple of benches to sit along the main trail but the last one is where the telephone pole is. There are varying types of terrain on the main trail as you get deeper into the valley (see photos). It was a drier period when I went so there are just a slight trickle but it was still very peaceful and I'd rather have that than having to deal with the slick mud and increased mosquitoes during the wetter periods. But yeah, don't expect this to be on-par with Mānoa Falls in terms of water flow size/intensity. For this hike, it's more about the journey than the destination (:One thing I would recommend while exploring Lyon Arboretum is to of course, look down/ahead and watch your step but to remember to look around you too! Between the points of interest on the map are lots of interesting plants, like different types of vining and epiphytic plants growing on the trunks of trees and interesting flowers/leaves/seeds. Some of the trees are also soooo tall! This place truly is a gem in urban Honolulu.10/10-highly recommend!
Read MoreLaurie Y.
Dec 6, 2024
Today is the Lyon Fall Fair. A fundraiser for the organization! Many of us retirees volunteer on Thursday to make Haku Lei usually for May Day, Mother's Day, Graduation, Weddings. Today we are selling dried wreaths, tabletop Christmas trees, bodhi leave bookmarks, cards and gift tags.Staff is not very helpful! For example 2 customers needed help to bring plants to their cars! 5 capable young staff standing around but not willing to help! These customers spent over $200 so I helped them carry it to car so they wouldn't have to make 2 trips! OMG!
Read MoreE S.
Sep 28, 2024
Great place to check out whether you're local or visiting. Reservations are REQUIRED!It's open Monday through Friday from 9 am until 3 pm, closed on weekends. Admission is free, but donations are suggested (amount is $10 per person).
Read MoreViolet B.
Jan 5, 2025
This place is operated by the University of Hawaii and we have wanted to visit for the longest time. Today we were told that normally you would need to make a reservation due to limited parking space. We got in by luck as it was not busy. They do ask for a donation which we gladly have. The scenery, nature, plants were amazing and we walked around and relaxed.
Read MoreStevi P.
Aug 17, 2024
Located in Manoa Valley. This place is amazing!! Lots of greenery and animals. We visited this place for my daughter's field trip so we had a tour guide. He taught the children and parents about the native plants and species that are found at the Arboretum. We weren't able to walk the whole place, but i would love to come back and walk around again. It was so peaceful there.
Read MoreTracy B.
Dec 26, 2024
Beautiful gem not far from downtown Honolulu/Waikiki. We immediately felt like we were in a tropical paradise. The staff and volunteers were very helpful. Trail map left a little to be desired and we went in circles a bit, but at least they were scenic circles.
Read MoreMichael B.
Apr 24, 2024
Lyon Arboretum is owned by the University of Hawaii and extremely well maintained. There are many paths, roads, and trails into the rainforest that will introduce you to tons of plant life. The deepest area has a waterfall which staff tells you takes around 45 minutes to reach by walking because it's al uphill. Budget more time for exploring along the way. The parking is free as long as you say your visiting the Arboretum and not doing the Manoa Falls hike. Staff at the Arboretum will validate your parking on arrival in the visitors center which also has a small gift shop and free restroom.Bring an umbrella or rain jacket as it sprinkles daily. Also bring pants and bug spray unless you want to be a mosquito buffet. Trails here can get dirty after heavier rain. Try to arrive early in the morning. It's a 15 minus walk from the visitors center to the nearest bus stop if you don't plan to drive in. The website claims you need a reservation to enter but I saw multiple people enter without one as staff just added them to the register on arrival.
Read MoreRhea A.
Jul 5, 2023
The Lyon Arboretum is located in beautiful, green, and lush Manoa. They share a parking lot with Paradise Park and Manoa Valley Falls. I was advised multiple times to bring a raincoat and wear insect repellant. I hesitated on bringing a raincoat; I like to pack light and a little water never hurt anyone. Thank God I did. The Lyon Arboretum is practically a rainforest. When we got there, there was a light drizzle. About halfway into our hike, it poured. It wasn't bad though, the rain was on and off. What was neat was that there are kids raincoats available to borrow in case the little ones didn't come prepared. Not all botanical gardens are created equally. I've been to many botanical gardens but Lyon Arboretum has so many plants and trees I'd never seen before. There are endless photo ops. They also have an education room where they do learning activities for groups. Their restrooms are clean and well-maintained. There are also outside sinks available since visitors have a good chance of getting muddy. The hiking path was easy enough and on some parts, the paths are lined with rocks and some steep and slippery parts have stairs available. Many parts of the trail were slippery since it was raining. My favorite part of the arboretum was the huge tree that you can walk through. This is somewhere I can definitely see myself visiting over and over again.
Read MoreLisa P.
Aug 8, 2023
Enjoyed walking through the Lyon Arboretum. Make reservations first on Eventbrite then check in at the visitors center. Parking is free if u are just going to the Arboretum. The parking attendant will charge hikers going to Manoa Falls $7 for tourists, $4 for Hawaii residents. Park at the last parking lot by the visitor center. There is a store within the visitor center to buy cold water bottles for $1 and cute t-shirts. The map will show u the layout of the Arboretum. There are benches along the trail. Well manicured and pretty for bird watching and appreciating nature. Exotic plants are plentiful. Only place at see a yellow ginger plant that I have in my photo gallery below. It was windy on the day I was there to keep mosquitoes away. Bring repellent anyway because there are alot of mosquitoes here normally.The bathrooms are behind the visitor center. Enjoy Naure!!!!
Read MoreJolene L.
Jan 30, 2023
Mahalo Nellie and the Lyon Ohana for supporting the Celebration of Life, honoring Greg Koob. We sincerely appreciate your kindness in allowing family and friends to gather at Lyons. Thank you for offering the lab tour and telling us about Greg's dedication to protecting native Hawaiian plants.Extremely fascinated to hear how Greg developed the tissue culture lab, saving countless native plant species from extinction! Thank you again, we shall return to watch his special tree continue to flourish.
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