Lagoon Drive Parking Lot

Lagoon Drive Parking lot is one of my favorite spots to not only go walking, but also plane spotting and for aviation photography.
The only problem with this place in terms of photography, is the fence. I realize it needs to be there, but it would be nice if there were a viewing platform. Many other airports on the mainland actually have sanctioned aviation photography/​plane spotting areas that give us AvGeeks the views we want. The reason for this is in those airports, the AvGeeks receive some basic training and often assist the airport authority in keeping an eye out for suspicious persons or activities. Here in Hawaii? Nope. In fact, you have to get a permit to do so, or the Sheriffs chase you away.
As for walking, the long, uninterrupted sidewalk on the makai side of the street is ideal for walking, jogging and running. It does get a bit crowded and the road resurfacing work certainly doesn’t help, but I still love it.

Finally found a cool spot to watch the planes from! Easy access, easy to find, no charge to park & pretty close view of the planes taking off & a few landing in the other direction. I could come here all the time!!!

Aviation photography can be super challenging, to say the least… The hardest part is probably finding a location where you can get close enough to «live» aircraft without breaking any laws. One of my favorite vantage points has to be this parking lot. With normal AOA ops in place, heavy aircraft will usually be using the Reef Runway or 8 Right as it’s known as for departures. If the winds switch direction from the south, or as it’s known, Kona winds, they will use this runway which will be known as 26 Left and land in the opposite direction. For those who are wondering how runways are designated, or numbered, the numbers stand for compass headings and R & L stand for right and left when there are parallel runways. So, 8R stands for 80 degrees compass heading. The right designation means it’s the right hand runway since there are two parallel runway 8’s. Thus, 8L means, the left of the two runways. This area also gives a nice vantage point to arriving aircraft using runways 4R, which will accommodate larger aircraft as well or 4L for smaller aircraft. During off hours, mainly between the hours of 7pm to 7am, arriving aircraft are routed offshore as to avoid flying over populated areas of the island. During these hours, most heavy aircraft are limited to runway 4R, but in certain circumstances, 8L can still be used by them for approaches at the pilot’s discretion.
Besides this lot, there are several other vantage points to get some great shots. Cell phone waiting lot on Aolele St gives photographers some great shots of planes departing from 8L. Bring a ladder you can stand on so you won’t have to crop out the perimeter fence from your photos. Sand Island Boat Ramp is another good spot, but my recommendation is for you to have the right equipment. When out at the parking lot, capturing aircraft departing 8R, you can probably get away with using an 80– 200 mm telephoto, and if you are using a DX format DSLR, you can utilize your camera’s crop factor to get a larger image. But if shooting from the cell phone lot or Sand Island, you should use a 400 mm or larger telephoto as it does a pretty good job of getting close up enough. Happy shooting and enjoy the view!

Located at the very end of Lagoon Drive, this lot is the only public parking lot you may park your vehicle in the area. This is a great spot to park your vehicle if you’re here to run/​jog the entire drive, to go fishing in the lagoon, to hang out, to eat your plate lunch, to sight see & even just to sit around and relax and watch the planes fly by. As a kid, my parents used to take my siblings and i here to watch the planes lift off and land. That tradition continues as i take my keikis here too.