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Suggest a Feature →Oahu, Hawaii
The best assignment in the Army. Plan accordingly — it ends.
Schofield Barracks sits in the center of Oahu, in the Leileihua Plateau between the Waianae and Ko'olau mountain ranges. It is, objectively, one of the most beautiful places to be stationed in the world. The challenge isn't finding things to do — it's fighting the temptation to spend every paycheck doing them.
Oahu has everything: North Shore surfing, Waikiki for when family visits, Lanikai Beach for when you want to remember why you're here, Pearl Harbor for history, the Ko'olau Pali for hiking, and the Dole Plantation for tourists who need somewhere to go. The other islands are all accessible by short flights. The thing people don't tell you: it's incredibly easy to spend your entire tour in a financial hole because Hawaii is expensive and beautiful things cost money.
Must Eat
The spots worth eating at before you PCS out.
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck (Kahuku)
"The North Shore shrimp truck. Famous for a reason."
The original Kahuku shrimp truck, covered in signatures, serving garlicky shrimp plates to everyone who makes the North Shore drive. The scampi plate — butter, garlic, white wine — over rice is perfect. The competitors in the area are worth trying too, but Giovanni's is the one.
Make the full North Shore loop on a weekday. Haleiwa town, the shrimp trucks, and Sunset Beach without tourist gridlock.
Marugame Udon (Honolulu)
"The best cheap meal in Honolulu. Freshly made udon in front of you."
A Japanese udon chain that opens a freshly cut noodle operation every morning. The udon is pulled to order, broth is excellent, and the tempura bar is fresh and cheap. The full meal costs under $10. In Honolulu, that is remarkable.
Helena's Hawaiian Food (Honolulu)
"James Beard Award-winning plate lunch. The real deal."
Helena's has been serving traditional Hawaiian food — lomi salmon, pipikaula short ribs, poi, kalua pig — since 1946 and earned a James Beard America's Classic award. This is not tourist Hawaiian food. This is the food Hawaiians eat.
Cash only. Lunch hours only. Come before noon or it's gone.
Outdoor
Get outside. The land around military installations is usually the best reason to be there.
Lanikai Pillbox Hike
"WWII bunkers with the best view in Hawaii."
A short, steep trail in Kailua leads to two WWII-era concrete pillboxes perched on a ridge above Lanikai Beach. The view — turquoise Kailua Bay, the Mokulua Islands, and the Ko'olau Mountains — is the best 20-minute effort-to-reward ratio on the island.
Go at sunrise. The colors are unreal and the trail is empty.
North Shore Surf (Haleiwa / Sunset / Pipeline)
"The most famous surf in the world. Watch from the sand."
November through February brings the biggest rideable waves on Earth to the North Shore. Pipeline, Sunset Beach, and Waimea Bay host elite surf competitions that draw tens of thousands. Even non-surfers need to see 30-foot waves breaking from 50 yards away. It's humbling.
Culture & History
Places with stories. Most military towns sit on deep history — dig in.
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
"Required. Do it properly — all of it."
Pearl Harbor encompasses four distinct sites: the USS Arizona Memorial (requiring timed tickets), the USS Missouri battleship (surrender site), the USS Bowfin submarine, and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Each is independently worth your time. Block a full day. The combination of December 7, 1941 and September 2, 1945 on the same harbor is profound.
Reserve USS Arizona tickets online months ahead. The Missouri and Bowfin are walk-up.
Family
Stuff to do with the kids. Rated by people who have brought actual children.
Waimea Valley
"A sacred Hawaiian valley with a swimming waterfall at the end."
A 1,875-acre cultural reserve in a sacred Hawaiian valley, with botanical gardens on the path to Waimea Falls — a 45-foot waterfall with a swimming area at the base. Well-maintained, kid-appropriate, and genuinely beautiful.
Day Trips
When you need to remember there's a world outside the gate.
"Haleakala, Road to Hana, and Lahaina. A different island, a different soul."
Inter-island flights run about 30 minutes and are cheap. Maui is quieter, more upscale than Oahu, with the Road to Hana (a 52-mile coastal highway with 620 curves and 59 bridges), the summit of Haleakala at 10,000 feet, and the historic Lahaina town.
"Active volcanoes. Black sand beaches. Snow on the summit."
The Big Island has active lava flows, a National Park built around an active volcano, black sand beaches, green sand beaches, and snow on Mauna Kea (where world-class observatories offer public viewing nights). It is the most geologically dramatic place in the US.
Budget is everything here. Have a monthly recreational budget and stick to it. Hawaii is beautiful enough that overspending feels justified until the PCS orders come and you're broke.
The commissary on post saves significant money. Use it.
Learn to surf or boogie board early in your tour. You will regret not doing it sooner.
The Ko'olau Summit Trail is one of the most challenging hikes in the state. Attempt it with local knowledge and in dry conditions only.
Inter-island flights are inexpensive and should be used frequently. See all five major islands before you leave.
Hawaii is the most expensive assignment in CONUS-plus. People leave deeply in debt because they couldn't resist the lifestyle. Build a financial plan before you arrive, not after.
This guide is built by people who've been stationed here. If there's a spot we got wrong or a gem we missed, tell us.