Oahu Christmas Tree Hike | How to Cut Your Own Tree in a Hawaii Forest

An Oahu Christmas tree hike gets you a real tree and a family adventure, and it’ll save you about $100 over a farm tree. With a permit from the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, you can head into select forest reserves and cut your own Norfolk pine. Up there, the brisk breeze and smell of pine feel almost like winter (almost). Expect some sweat, some mud, and at least one tearful negotiation over which tree is the one. For families looking for something different, it might just become a favorite tradition. It did for us.

How Our Oahu Christmas Tree Hike Tradition Started

It all started with the joyful discovery of the Christmas tree farm in Wahiawa where we got to pick out our own Norfolk pine amid rainbows and candy canes. It was fantastic, but our friends one-upped us. They headed into the forest reserve that year for an Oahu Christmas tree hike and cut down their own tree. Now that’s an adventure! Our goal was to do the same the following Christmas, and if we saved $100 in the process, all the better. No worries, we’re not a family of tree chopping hooligans. We had permits in hand and it was all legit (permit details further down if you’re interested).

Puffy Jackets and Pine Trees at Peacock Flats

The following year, we joined our friends on the Christmas tree hunt. They had turned it into a camping weekend at Peacock Flats. The campsites sit high in the Waianae Range above Kaʻena Point, in an open meadow ringed by Cook pines and eucalyptus, with sweeping views of the North Shore. It was quiet and wintery for sure. Puffy jackets came out, campfires were started, and beers were cracked. A brisk breeze whistled through the trees, and the whole place smelled like pine. It helped that our friend, the state botanist at the time, had a key to the gate on the access road.

Peacock Flats was by far the best spot we’ve found for Christmas trees. There were so many beautiful trees to choose from, and they grew right along the road, so loading one onto the roof was easy. Of course, the long drive led to two sleepy, slightly unstable children. Micah fell in love with a particular tree and broke into tears when we wanted a nice symmetrical one. In the end, the lopsided, slightly funky tree came home with us, but he was happy.

How to Get to Peacock Flats (4WD Required)

You’ll need a 4WD and a camping or Kuaokalā day-use permit, and you’ll check in at the guard station at Yokohama Bay before driving about 7 miles up a dirt road. The road gets extremely muddy and can be impassable after rain, and it was damaged in the spring 2026 storms, with vehicle access reopening in June. If you’d like to stay over like our friends did, the campsites have shelters, restrooms, and picnic tables, but no water.

Making Christmas Wreaths From Forest Finds

Our wonderful, crafty friend brought along wreath-making supplies, and we scavenged for pine cones, eucalyptus, Christmasberry, and other forest goods. So what if I got so absorbed in wreath-making that I wouldn’t let the kids add anything?

We haven’t made it back to Peacock Flats, but the wreaths stuck. Every year, I gather extra greenery when we cut our tree, stop at Ben Franklin for wreath bases and floral wire, and host a wreath-making party for my non-hiking friends. Last year we joined the holiday wreath workshop at Ossipoff Cabin, with incredible views of the Leeward coast (it’s adults and teens only).

Where Else to Find a Christmas Tree on Oahu

After the road to Peacock Flats washed out, we went looking for a new spot. We made many trips to the Judd Trail in Nuʻuanu, where Norfolk pines grow along the trail. Competition and low light there make for some scraggly trees, though. One year the selection was so poor that we zip-tied two trees together to make one that worked.

Most recently, we’ve had luck near the ʻAiea Loop Trail, where the pines are big and beautiful. They’re also heavy, and it’s a long hike out carrying one. You can read about the nine-foot tree we hauled home in our Christmas tree farm guide.

How to Get a Christmas Tree Permit on Oahu

Cutting your own tree requires a Forest Reserve System Collection Permit from the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and you can apply online or at a district office. On Oahu, Norfolk pine Christmas trees can be permitted in the Nuʻuanu section of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve and in the Kuaokalā and Mokulēʻia forest reserves near Peacock Flats. Christmasberry branches for wreaths can be permitted in Kuaokalā and Mokulēʻia too. Personal-use permits are free.

If you’d rather pick up your permit in person, the Oahu office is in Makiki, and there are some nice hikes in the area if you want to make a day of it.

Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife
2135 Makiki Heights Drive, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96822
Phone: (808) 973-9778

Holiday Photos Under the Pines

If your idea of Christmas involves muddy shoes and a pine tree strapped to the roof, you’ll probably like holiday photos among the trees too. Pine groves like the one at Waʻahila Ridge are a favorite setting for my holiday mini sessions, where the cool air and late afternoon light feel the most like December. They’re a bite-size treat for families who want fresh photos for holiday cards and a little fun together. Waitlist families hear about dates first and get an insider discount, so join the mini session waitlist to be first in line. And if a full morning adventure sounds more like your family, here’s where to start.

More Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Hawaii

Here’s a peek at our December highlights, since December has some of the best weather of the year. If you’d rather skip the hike, our Christmas tree farm guide covers picking a Norfolk pine at Helemano Farms, rainbows and candy canes included.

Oahu Christmas Tree Hike FAQs