Dirt Bike Trails on Oahu, Hawaii

For such a small island, Oahu's dirt-biking terrain is tremendously varied -- you'll zip your bike over everything from bone-dry post-volcanic badlands to lush tropical forests. The trails suit bikers ranging from beginner to expert enduro athletes, so there's no reason not to strap on a helmet and roll back the throttle.

Ride Kahuku Motocross Track

• Viral videos abound of the high-flying hijinks at the Kahuku Motocross Track. The dirt track buzzes with bikes flying over the natural terrain at freeway speeds, sending motocross daredevils high into the air over towering dirt features. Luckily, visitors don't have to be sponsored athletes to join the fun: The track is actually suitable for all levels, allowing even thrill-seeking rank amateurs to try out man-made whoops, tabletops, triples and doubles. Very small riders and their parents can head over to the on-site peewee track. On the weekends, expect crowds.

Find Your Own Trail

• Check out the list of trails under the auspices of “Na Ala Hele,” the State of Hawaii's Trail and Access Program. Na Ala Hele administers unpaved trail systems over all the state's islands, maintaining 39 trails on Oahu. Some of these -- concentrated on the mountainous, forested northwest side of the island -- are seasonally explorable via dirt bike. The longest trails are the Mokuleia & Kuaokala Firebreak Roads, which collectively cover more than 10 miles and take in excellent ocean views. Check the organization's Website for routes, current conditions and accessibility.

Take a Tour

• If you're not in the mood to blaze your own trail, hook up with Dirt Bike Hawaii, a local operation that has ridden Oahu's trails for two decades and has helped to build several of the Na Ala Hele community-access trails. DBH offers one-day and two-day tours for all levels, bringing two-wheeled tourists all over the island to sample the terrain best suited to their abilities. All tours include bike rental, safety gear, bike transport between trails, gas, snacks and drinks.

Stay Safe and Respectful

• No matter where you ride, stay on signed, managed trails that have been maintained and designated for public use. Other than the dangers inherent in venturing into cliffy jungle territory, access issues abound. Public access to Oahu's trail system always hangs in a delicate balance between the needs of the state and private landowners, and the latter often moves to revoke access when private lands are disturbed by off-trail activities. In the interests of safety and keeping trails open to future bikers, it's vital to respect designated routes.

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The Best Month to Visit Oahu

Travel guides will tell you that there's really no bad month to visit Oahu, Hawaii's most populous island. In a sense, they're right. No matter when you go, you're likely to have warm weather, sunny beaches and stunning scenery. If you want to save money, avoid the crowds or participate in special activities such as surfing or whale watching, however, some months are better than others.

Best Weather

• Weather is not much of a factor in deciding what month you visit Oahu -- unless you count the weather you'll be escaping at home. Hawaii has two seasons known nominally as the wet season, running from November through March, and the dry season, running from April through October. Even in the dry season, it rains somewhere in the islands every day, and one spot rarely receives more than three consecutive days of rain even in the wet season. Oahu's tourist hubs of Waikiki Beach and the Ko Olina Coast stay sunny year-round. It is slightly cooler in the winter months, but the temperature in Hawaii usually stays in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit in both seasons. Hawaii is susceptible to hurricanes, though they are rare. The Central North Pacific hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.

Best Prices

• Hotels and flights to Oahu cost more during the island's high season, which runs from mid-December through April. Mid-June through August is somewhat cheaper, though heavy traffic from families on their summer vacations inflate the prices. You'll find the cheapest airfares and hotel rates in the off-season: April through mid-June and September through mid-December. Even so, you might want to avoid holidays in that time frame. Besides U.S. national holidays, Hawaii also sees a boost in travel during Japan's Golden Week, which is the last week of April, and a few local holidays: Prince Kuhio Day on March 26, King Kamehameha Day on June 11 and Admissions Day on the third Friday in August.

Best Surfing

• You can surf in Hawaii year-round, but surfing aficionados should keep certain months in mind when planning their trip. Oahu's North Shore, which includes the infamous Banzai Pipeline, sees its highest waves from November through January. In December, pro surfers from all over the world hit Oahu for the Vans Triple Crown Tournament. If you're less experienced and don't care about the hoopla, both the waves and pro crowds tend to ebb after January, but you'll still find wave action. In the summer, particularly from June through August, the surfing shifts to the southern and eastern sides of Oahu.

Best Whale Watching

• Every year, thousands of humpback whales travel south from Alaska to mate in the warm waters around Hawaii. Unfortunately, they also keep the same schedule as the islands' human tourists. While you might spot a humpback whale in the off-season starting in October, you're most likely to see them from mid-December through May. February and March are their peak times. Even though the largest number of pods cluster around Maui, you'll find plenty of cruises in Oahu that offer guarantees of sighting humpbacks in their peak season. Though the humpbacks move on after May, you still can spot dolphins and a few other whale species, such as pilot whales, around Oahu year-round.

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What to Do in Oahu When it Rains

The promise of sun and beach time on famous shores may draw you to Oahu, Hawaii's most populous island, but a rainy day might call for different plans. Gloomy weather is more typical of Hawaii's rainy season, from November to March, which is ironically when the islands see the most visitors. Even then, showers rarely last more than three days in any given area. If it does rain while you're on Oahu, head to the island's indoor attractions, the highlights of which are museums and historic sites.

Learn About Local Marine Life

• Stay dry while observing the 3,500 or so water-dwelling creatures at the Waikiki Aquarium. Indoor exhibits include Hunters of the Reef, home to blacktip reef sharks and groupers, and Diversity and Adaptations, a tank devoted to some of the ocean's most distinctive creatures, including eels, seahorses and frogfish, masters of camouflage. Bring an umbrella or wait for a break in the clouds to check out the outdoor exhibits, which include a touch tank and Edge of the Reef, a display of several kinds of coral systems found around Hawaii.

Admire an Array of Art

• Spend a rainy day admiring the intricate Japanese woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e, at the Honolulu Museum of Art, where some of the masters of the tradition are represented. The museum's collection of 50,000 objects also includes Renaissance paintings, works that represent Hawaii in a variety of media and Roman, Greek and Egyptian objects from antiquity. One ticket allows you same-day admission to the Honolulu Museum of Art's second location, the Spalding House, formerly the Contemporary Museum. Here the must-see attraction is an installation of the sets and costumes David Hockney created for the Metropolitan Opera's 1981 production of "L'Enfant et les Sortileges."

Explore a Royal Palace

• Hawaii's last two monarchs, King David Kalakaua and his sister and successor, Queen Liliuokalani, surely spent more than one rainy day in their lavish abode, the four-story Iolani Palace in Honolulu, constructed in 1882. While you wait for the sun to emerge, explore the palace's first two floors on a guided docent tour or a self-led audio tour. On the first floor, you will find the public areas of the palace, such as the throne room. The monarch's suites are on the second floor, where you can also step into the room where Queen Liliuokalani was held under house arrest when her government was overthrown in 1893.

Relive History at Pearl Harbor

• Take time on Oahu to recall a key moment in American history: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which drew the U.S. into World War II. Your visit begins at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Arrive early in the day for the best chance to score same-day tickets to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, accessible via ferry. The memorial rests above the wreckage of the battleship that sank on this very spot, taking more than a thousand sailors with it. In addition, or as an alternative, take the shuttle bus to Ford Island, where you can walk on the deck of the Battleship Missouri, where the Japanese signed their surrender agreement in 1945. Near the Visitor Center, visitors ages 4 and older can go inside the USS Bowfin, a World War II submarine. Children of all ages are allowed at the associated museum, which displays artifacts from the submarine.

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