YMCA Camp HR Erdman

Ho I remember going here ever since small kid time! If you are born and raised in Hawaii, you know what I am talking about! If you have not come to Camp Erdman then you are not born and raised in Hawaii and you are not local! Nah juss jokes!
Location
All the way down in Mokuleia/​Waialua side! It is pretty easy to drive to unless there is traffic. Just head towards North Shore side specifically down Waialua then you are pretty there. You will also pass another camp site in Mokuleia which is before Camp Erdman.
The Camp
I remember the camp cabins were hella ghetto way back in the day but they cleaned them up! If you can get the makai side cabins, those ones are pretty good because it is so close to the camp fires and the beach! The family cabins are pretty big too! The restrooms are decent and all of the cabins are pretty much a decent walking distance from everything.
The Erdman
In regards to the Camp Erdman infrastructure overall, I feel that it has a lot of good resources to utilize. I’ve gone here mostly for leadership camps and stuff so there are a lot of areas that you can use to meet and use for assembly meetings and stuff. The cafeteria is on the second floor so you will have to walk up some stairs to get to it. The food is pretty good I would say. They have coffee and tea available all day if you want. (It is located behind the cafeteria). It is all family style so when it comes time to eat you have to set everything yourself (it’s part of the camp experience!). They will always have cereal and fruit available for breakfast and salad choices for lunch. You also have to break down everything and take the dishes to the kitchen after you are done eating. They have some strict times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have a swimming pool, basketball court, volleyballs, etc. if you want some physical activity. I believe they also have some leadership team building types of activities that you can inquire about.
Overall, Camp Erdman is just really great in regards to getting away for the weekend if you want a more out of town kind of experience for both small groups or large groups!

So the last time I came to Camp Erdman was 10 years ago when I was a 7^th grader & not much has changed. Except instead of being a student I was a chaperone for a 124 7^th graders. Let me warn you, I am not a camper. My camping is staying at a beach house haha.
The grounds & facilities were kept fairly clean. The staff tried really hard to engage the students but at some points they tried a little too hard. The students enjoyed the activities but some were geared more towards younger students & they seemed to get bored. The students really loved The Odyssey because it challenged them mentally & physically. It also gave them many opportunities to learn to work together.
The food was okay, the salad bar really saved me during lunch & dinner. During our stay we had things such as waffles, Portuguese sausage, French toast, yogurt, granola and cereal for breakfast. For lunch we had sandwiches & chips. For dinner we had sweet & sour pork & something else that I can’t seem to remember.
The cabins seemed a lot smaller than I remembered but fit 16 students & had 2 bathrooms with a toilet & shower. Luckily there weren’t too many creepy crawlers.
We had the students wipe down their mattresses with Clorox wipes. I was extra cautious so I cut open a big trash bag & covered my mattress before putting down my sleeping bag.
I was so relieved that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I love love his place!!! My kids went to OPC camp for 6 days. I have a 15 & 13 year old
So I new they were going to have s blast. The camp grounds were kept very clean an tidy
The counselers where amazing an very mature! I was able to see pictures of my kids on shutterfly which I thought was pretty cool! When camp was over my kids couldn’t stop talking the whole way home on how much fun they had. They even said the food was awesome lol thanks again camp Erdman for the memories you have my kids that will last
A lifetime. Also I would like to personally thank Rich this wouldn’t have happened without
Him. Thanks Rich for all the time an effort & passion you put into Camp Erdman!!! Your awesome!!!

Very rude, unprofessional workers. Threaten people when they are with children and attempt to throw rocks. Never sending my kids there.

I have sent all my girls over the last 15 years to camp Edman. Today my 11 year daughter, myself and wife took a drive out there. My 11yr old has been talking about camp Erdman for the last two months since she went there with her school for a few days. She was so excited to show us all the new things they have and what she did. We pulled over on the side of the road so that she could show us. We were then approached by someone that presumably worked for them. He pulled up next to me where I couldn’t get out of my vehicle. And jumped out of his truck very angry like. He approached my wife and child started yelling and pointing his fingers at them in a very threatening manner. And told us that we better move out vehicle right now and that we’re on private Propery. He said to us can’t you read and that he’s tired of us. Granted this was our first time ever going over there. My wife and daughter didn’t know what to expect from this park worker/​security or whatever he was. My daughter And wide was very frighten. By this guy from the way he approached them. Granted I cannot get out of my car because he blocked me from getting out. He was very rood, disrespectful, unprofessional towards us. Not to mention threatening. After he yelled, pointed, and talked down to us. I apologized and said I never see the signs. He then said something again that wS pretty much fighting words to my family and I. I told him there’s a way that u speak to people and this isn’t the way. He then got back out of his truck and started walking over towards me and told me that I better get off his property because I’m trespassing. I told him he needs to learn adequacy and how to talk to people. He raised his voice some more and then came around his truck again and started pointing at me again. After we exchange words. He proceeded to threaten me again, jumped back into his truck gave my family and I this nasty look again. Put his truck into reverse and sped off backwards down the road really fast. In all my years, I’ve never been so insulted by someone that worked for camp Erdman. My daughter started crying because of this man and the way he was acting. I was so upset that he made me wanna climb out the window of my vehicle and approach him. I will never ever again recommend, send, or let my kids go there again.

Today was family open camp day, first off as a former employee I found it looking very nice, but super super super poorly run.
1– These little children were trying to climb on a high ropes course which they should have opened the low ropes course for, because of this the lines were very long and super slow for everyone.
2– After waiting for 2 hours my children were super excited about trying the ropes they ended the line so my children were not able to try it out.
End result: stick to school groups because those they do pretty well and NO! I would not recommend going back for family camp or any other camp if this is how they run events. Again super sad because years ago it was not like this at all.

Another fantastic year at July 4^th Family Camp is over. We already have our cabin reserved for next year. Saturday night dinner this year was prime rib! We also had «smash burger» for lunch, reminiscent of «Smash Cow» at the old Barney’s Burgerhouse in Ewa Beach.

AWESOME! I don’t camp anymore. If I did, this is definitely how I would do it.
Flashbacks of my childhood came to me as soon as the bus stopped in front of the the main building at Camp Erdman. Did you grow up here too? Let me help you have a few flashbacks too:
Everything seems smaller now that I’m much bigger. Strangely enough, everything looked vaguely familiar but the best part was seeing everything through a child’s eyes all over again!
Do you remember the cabins? Yes, that’s the only way I would camp… they have bunk beds, hot showers, flushing toilets, whatddya know, it’s almost like the Hyatt. They painted the cabins mustard yellow for LOST and even left the Dharma sign up for the die hard fans:
Do you remember the bonfire by the beach?
EVERYTHING IS THE SAME. It’s like time hasn’t touched this place. This is definitely still a great experience. The kids even loved KP duty in the mess hall. The one thing new that I don’t remember from before is the ropes course. It’s on the mountain side of the road before you get to the cabins. Can’t wait to see the kids in action on that in a few years!
If you want to experience Camp Erdman all over again too, there are several options, so check out their website!
SUMMER CAMP!
You can sign your kid up for summer camp if you’re looking for somewhere to send them but you have to register by March 15^th! They offer horsemanship and surfing camps on the side as well!
FAMILY CAMPS occur four times a year, Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. It would be a great bonding experience for the family and you wouldn’t have to worry about cooking or pitching your tent or worrying about the rain and the memories would last forever!
Shout out to Keahi K. who is in charge of the school programs. He was awesome and the kids had a blast despite the inclement weather. Keep up the great programs and see you next year! Same time, same place!

Big LOST fan, so this was a dream come true!

Very helpful staff, went above and beyond to be helpful. Sent my little brother here for surf camp and he had a blast. The counselors were awesome, and his experience was one that he will look back on fondly. We were a little worried when dropping him off, since we didn’t know if it was going to be that good, but Camp Erdman proved themselves to be a great summer camp.

My review is more for the site itself, not the facility. I came here because it was used in the filming of LOST — this is The Other’s Camp — so I wanted to take some pictures. Everyone was really nice. You need to check in at the front desk when you arrive and they ask for a $ 5 donation per person. Then they give you a brochure and point you in the direction of the LOST area (although it’s pretty obvious when you see it — very iconic!)
If you’re a LOST fan, this is a must see spot!

Site of the lost filming, a couple of good places to see where the movie was filmed. (You have to make a $ 5/​person donation to get in)
Also, I really wish I was still a kid and could go to YMCA summer camp– you can’t beat the location, off the beaten path in a beautiful beach front setting. This whole end of Oahu is really beautful, a visit to nearby, sparsely populated Mokuleia State Beach is really worth it (though swimming access there is not the greatest)

So I went to Camp Erdman with the 5^th graders of Likelike Elementary. We picked the 3 days 2 night package for maximum fun and sun on Oahu’s north west shore.
It was a nice hour long bus ride that started in urban Kalihi and passed through Aiea, Pearl City, Waipahu, Mililani, Wahiawa and out to Camp Erdman.
Got to camp and unloaded the bus. Then we sent the kids to the TIR (theatre in the round) and went to teacher orientation. We were given cabin keys and all the formalities were touched on by Sarah Miller. Informative and brief, we got to walk around camp while the camp counselors introduced themselves to the kids.
We eventually got to unpack and this is the view from the back of the cabins!
The curriculum chosen for this group of kids included the classes archery, beach ecology, the beast, mauka hike, group challenge 1 and 2, swimming, and international games. The curriculum was quite good and for the most part engaged and interested the kids throughout the camp.
When asked, the many of the students loved the hike and listed it as their favorite activity. Second was archery. I must say much of the programs are well planned and well executed. Students really benefit from the enthusiasm of camp instructors.
Here is a picture of the trail head of the mauka hike. Our instructor Toro, along with his friend Marcos led us up the slippery and rocky trail to a breathtaking view of the ocean and land below.
Here is a picture during the hike where we hiked along kukui nut trees and lilikoi vines.
Finally we have a beach shot– located on the water, Camp Erdman is a picturesque location where you can enjoy the mountains and the sea in the same day, all within walking distance.
It was very interesting talking with the camp instructors– they were all international! They were from Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, India, Canada and Zambia. They all have very interesting stories to tell and have very good English especially for those who have never lived in an English speaking country.
I would recommend Camp Erdman to any school who wishes to send their students to a well maintained, beautiful camp with superb programming.

Most people who grew up on Oahu have spent at least one night at Camp Erdman, most likely with a school group. Student leadership camps, band/​orchestra camps, and graduating class camps are often held here. Why it’s a good place to have a student camp: Located in the extreme northwest of the island near the end of a very long road, there’s no escape and there’s nothing around that a student would want to escape to. Other students not enrolled in camp would have to put in a lot of time and use up lots of gas money to drive all the way to Erdman to crash camp. There’s several meeting rooms to have arts & crafts, or for music camps — rehearsals and sectionals. Bring clothespins to hold your music as some areas are open air.
Year-​round «modified» public school schedules have created a problem for some parents, as now they have to find supervised activities for their child to participate in during «Intersessions» (very long fall, winter, and spring breaks). Here’s an option that might work for families: Intersession Camps at Camp Erdman. What a great idea! Cart your kids off to camp so you don’t have to worry about them watching TV (or doing something worse!) for 7 hours straight, daily, for 2 weeks. Tell your kids it might not be so bad! Swim time and the ropes course can be fun!
You could even bring your whole family to camp! Not sure if I would want to, though. The food I’ve had at Camp Erdman brings back bad memories of school lunch. Here’s an example of an Erdman lunch menu: Chicken patty on white bun, pre-​cut mixed iceberg lettuce salad with ranch dressing, plain Ruffles potato chips, canned pineapple chunks, and fruit punch. Ketchup, mustard, and mayo packages available. I would probably only do a Family Camp if I were visiting from off-​island and if there was time allotted for driving my family into other areas of the North Shore. Haleiwa is about 20 – 30 minutes away.
Summer camp is another option. I think it’s cool that they have thematic camps: horsemanship, technology, English as a Second Language, mountain climbing, etc. I would totally send my kids to Erdman for a specialty camp. Check out their website; I think it’s pretty well done.