Harold L. Lyon Arboretum | A University of Hawaii Research Unit

ALOHA!

Lyon Arboretum is part of the University of Hawaiʻi and a public botanical garden. We are nestled in the back of Mānoa Valley, just five miles from the bustle of Waikiki. The Arboretum has over 7 miles of hiking trails and boasts more than 6,000 taxa of tropical and subtropical plants across our nearly 200 acres.

To learn more, click on the topics in the navigation menu above.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

We will be closed to the public on Tuesday, August 25th for an internal event.
Now Offering Walk-Up Docent-Led Tours! – Discover the stories, plants, and history of Lyon Arboretum with one of our volunteer docents. Click here for more information.
Mahalo for your support of our Community Classes! We are taking a brief break during the summer and will be back in August with new opportunities to learn, explore, and connect.
School Tour requests for SY2026-2027 will open on July 20th.
Our Seed Conservation Lab is being renovated, and we will have frequent closures with short notice. Please check this page for closures before visiting.

VISIT

Hours:

During normal operations, we are open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm, and closed on weekends and State and Federal holidays. Be aware of last-minute closures due to construction on the property.

Admission:

Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. The suggested donation amount is $10 per person.

No reservations are required at this time. Parking is first-come, first-served. If the lot is full, there is a paid parking lot at Paradise Park, located before Lyon.

Groups:

Organized groups (schools, homeschools, mommy groups, churches, business groups, etc.) with 8+ participants are REQUIRED to make arrangements with the Lyon Education Department (email Lyonedu@hawaii.edu).

K-12 schools and college groups can visit our K12 EDUCATION PAGE or UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE GROUPS for more information about our school tours and to request a tour. All school tour requests must be made through our field trip request form found on the education webpage.

A fee will be assessed for coordinating group visits.

For questions, call the MAIN OFFICE at (808) 988-0456.

Mahalo!

Community Classes and Events

We are taking a little break for our Community Classes. We will have offerings starting in August. Mahalo for your support!

Scroll below for a glance at our Lyon community classes for the upcoming months. You can also click the link below to view our calendar. To see other upcoming classes, go to our Community Class page and view the Events Calendar.

Click Here for the Events and Closures Calendar

To view information about the class, click on the calendar date and entry to open the Eventbrite link. Classes are usually held on Fridays or Saturdays.

Camps and School Tours

Summer Camp 2026: Both sessions are full.

Learn more about our Nature Camps here: Lyon Nature Day Camp General Information

School Tours: We are still accepting requests for summer tours. Requests for tours for SY 2026-2027 will open on July 20th. Check out our school tour calendar for our availability. We do not take requests over the phone or email. Please fill out our online request form. More info here: LYON SCHOOL TOURS