One of the great things about Honolulu is that from virtually any place in the city you are only 15 to 20 minutes away from a relatively pristine, uncrowded hiking trail or spot of breathtaking scenic beauty. Witness Waahila Ridge State Recreation Area. This state park sits atop St. Louis Heights, one of the clutch of Honolulu nabes that cling to the mountainside and afford insane views as well as peace, quiet and relative cool. The trip to Waahila from Waikiki would probably run no more than 20 minutes in bad traffic. The ridge, which is also a jumping off point for some strenuous day hikes, is wreathed in towering Norfolk Pines, two big evergreen varieties brought to Hawaii during plantation days. The park its comprises 50 acres, a hefty chunk of terroir in crowded Oahu.

In the park picnic benches are situated with a western orientation facing the next ridge over, Mount Tantalus, and Manoa Valley. The vistas of the blue-green jagged ridge across the way is truly awesome and almost always clear. There isn't much of an ocean view here so don't expect one. However, due to the shade and the altitude, this spot is cool and wonderfully dim even at high noon. On a recent Sunday when I was up there, plenty of picnic benches remained empty; for some reason, this park is not as popular as other ridgeline reposes on Oahu. A savvy picnicker would pick up a passel of poke at Tamura's which is a short distance from the base of the hill. Other nearby lunchables include Big City Diner (huge portions, sandwiches good for take out) and Cafe Laufer (more refined sandwiches). One caveat. High winds can be a problem up here so best not to plan a leisurely meal and stroll if the winds are whipping it up.

Waahila Ride State Recreation Area: (Map)

—Alex, 03/04/07