Camping Hawai'i: A Complete Guide

...Hawaii, like everywhere else has a problem with litter and with homeless people. It also has some of the most amazing and beautiful places you will ever find. Meg may be trying to discourage tourism with this review. Many do. Read this book and visit Hawaii; but please do your part to keep it beautiful and leave it cleaner.

A previous review gives the impression that campgrounds in Hawaii are overrun with homeless people, and therefore are an unattractive place to camp. I consider this review false and misleading. Although there are some homeless people in Hawaii, as in many places, and they do sometimes camp on the state's beaches, they rarely choose to use state or city campgrounds. The reasons for this are that written permits are required at all such campgrounds, all stays are limited to a maximum of 5 days, and state parks charge a fee of $5 per day - something homeless folks cannot afford. There are a few campgrounds where demonstrators (not necessarily homeless) have staged "sit ins," protesting such things as loss of Hawaiian sovereignty, lack of affordable housing, and other social issues. However, if such a situation occurs, a prospective camper will be made aware of it when he applies for a permit, and can choose to go elsewhere Hawaii has many beautiful campgrounds, both on the ocean and in forested areas. They provide a wonderful, hassle-free outdoor experience for thousands of people every year. It would be a shame to avoid using them based on one inaccurate report. And Camping Hawaii is the perfect reference to insure a great camping vacation anywhere in the islands. Meg Munro >

This guide, newly revised in 1997, is the most complete guide to camping on the islands. It includes sites not listed in other books and the author knows what campers want to know, like where the most level spot is to pitch your tent, something most guidebook authors would miss on their way to rate the next hotel.