Photo: jai Mansson from Chicago, United States of America · CC BY-SA 2.013% of Pupukea’s land is conserved: 289 acres
144 acres are parks and preserves, 31 per 1,000 residents. 1.3 miles of mapped trail cross Pupukea, 0.4 per square mile of land. 63% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #36 of 93 in Hawaii. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Pupukea?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Pupukea have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pupukea is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #36 of 93 in Hawaii. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
Hawaii towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 14%; the U.S., 4%), so Pupukea’s 13% is ahead of 47% of Hawaii towns, while its trails per square mile lead 38% of them.
Water is 43% of Pupukea’s area (3 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pupukea-Paumalu Forest Reserve
289 conserved acres
13% of Pupukea’s land. Water is left out: Pupukea has 3.4 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Pupukea’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 27 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 17 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Department of Land State Resource Management Area State Resource Management Area | State Department of Land | 187 | Open |
| Sunset Beach Park Local Park | County | 44 | Open |
| Pupukea Beach Park Local Park | County | 41 | Open |
| County Land Local Other or Unknown Local Other or Unknown | County | 36 | Unknown |
| Waialee Beach Park (undeveloped) Local Recreation Area | Joint | 22 | Open |
| Shoreline Local Park | County | 20 | Open |
| Pupukea-Paumalu Park Local Park | County | 17 | Open |
| Waimea Bay Beach Park Local Park | County | 12 | Open |
| Sunset Beach Neighborhood Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Pupukea-paumalu Forest Reserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 5 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
10 places to go in Pupukea
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
7.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Pupukea: April to July
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.9 | 11.4 | 12.0 | 12.6 | 13.2 | 13.4 | 13.3 | 12.9 | 12.2 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 10.8 |
| High (°F) | 78 | 79 | 79 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 84 | 81 | 79 |
| Rain (in) | 4.7 | 4.0 | 5.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 6.1 | 5.5 |
August is the driest month (3.2 in) and the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 6.1 inches fall in November, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Pupukea →
Pupukea and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupukea | 13% | 0.4 | 31 | 63% | B+ |
| Haleiwa | 11% | 1.6 | 32 | 69% | A |
| Kawela Bay | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pupukea
How much of Pupukea is conserved land?
13% of its land, against a typical 14% for a Hawaii town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Pupukea’s trails?
Sunset Beach Neighborhood Park and Pupukea-Paumalu Forest Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pupukea?
7.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of off-road paths and 4.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Pupukea?
5,772 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pupukea or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 236 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Pupukea have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #36 of 93 in Hawaii. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Pupukea neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →