Okinawa might be a relatively small island, but boy, there sure is plenty to do and explore! For being a “stay-at-home-mom” we try not to stay at home too much. If it’s a sunny day (and sometimes even on rainy days when there have been too many in a row) we’re out and about! But not every day can be a grand adventure. We might not have the time or this mama might not have the energy. Quick trips to the beach by our house are a great go-to but since there’s so much else to see it’s fun to spice things up every now and then.

These 6 easy hikes (or nature walks if you will) are short, free, and have uniquely beautiful views! They’re also easy enough to do with young children. I always carry my, now 9-month-old, in a carrier (this one by Boba has been my go-to), and my two-year-old *generally* walks. Lately my two-year-old refuses to walk anymore at some point or another and I’ll have to carry him part of the way. But these walks all have aspects he’s found interesting enough to continue walking for (even if it’s just stray cats that he can meow at).

Fair warning if you’re an arachnophobe: stick to the beaches!

These giant spiders are everywhere in the jungle (and the jungle is everywhere)! They’re Golden Orb Weavers, they aren’t poisonous and I’m told they don’t like to leave their webs. This is reassuring but that doesn’t negate the fact that they’re still huge spiders. I’ve seen them on almost all the nature trail walks I’ve done but generally the paths are cleared of them (though I have ducked or darted a time or two and I’m 5’2”). I generally just keep a terrified eye out for them but am still able to enjoy my walks. I’m working on (self-regulated) exposure therapy. I’m either going to come home from Okinawa not afraid of bugs or one of these spiders is going to touch me one day and I’m going to keel over.

Anyways I digress. The beauty is worth the critters (I keep telling myself). So be brave and check it out.

P.s. All the links below are pin drops of where we parked to do our trekking. If you don’t know already Google Maps pin drops are everything out here.

1. Senaga Island, Tomigusuku, Okinawa.

Just South of the Naha airport is this gem of an island. With a circumference of only 1.5 kilometers (I don’t know what the conversion for that is, I just wrote what google provided me with. You can do the math), it’s easy to explore the whole island! We made the stop after dropping daddy off for an early morning flight. Because it’s so close to the airport, you can see the planes take off while sitting on the beach which was a lot of fun for our oldest.

The island has beach areas, a playground, a park, a scenic drive, and a very cute outdoor food and shopping area. We didn’t actually get to enjoy that part because we were there before everything opened but I looked up some of the restaurants and they look delicious and fun! Most everything opens up around 10:00 am for reference.

The island is also a great place to do a walk/hike (which is why it’s on this list, duh). We drove up to a parking lot at the top of the island and walked down to the beach, watched some planes fly away, and walked back. You could park at the bottom by the beach and do it in reverse as well but I find it better to have the “fun thing” in the middle of the walk. The little walk we did was a stairway trail that wasn’t too exhausting but it was a good little workout!

There were bathrooms down by the beach and the park. They had vending machines where we parked at the top and also by the bathrooms at the bottom (Waylon has to have his juice on our walks). The bugs weren’t too bad. Waylon did have some mosquitoes after him, in a particularly muggy spot, but I’m sure that would be different at different times of day or with different weather. There were beautiful views everywhere! It wasn’t very busy in the early morning, but gets pretty packed as the day goes on.

Waylon approval: 8/10

2. Kanna Dam, Ginoza, Okinawa.

We did this quick little expedition just north of us when the rain let up a little bit, after way too long of being stuck inside on rainy days. It was also the first non-beach exploration we did on island and was a good change of scenery!

We parked in the parking lot at the bottom and did a loop up the stairs, across the top of the dam, down the other side, across the water, and back.

There were quite a bit of stairs and they were a little bit steep but there are plenty of landings to rest on. Our two-year-old got a little over it the last two flights but we made it! The views from the top were worth it even on a cloudy day!

You don’t have to cross the water at the end of the loop to get back, but you can. Any walk where we can get in some water time is a plus!

I can’t remember if there was a vending machine in the parking lot or not but I don’t think there was so bring your own drink just in case. That stair climb will get ya! We didn’t notice any spiders on this walk, but it was raining, so the sun wasn’t able to shimmer on the webs in warning like I’m used to.

Waylon approval: 7/10

3. Ishikawa Civic Forest, Uruma, Okinawa.

There are a lot of paths to take in the Ishikawa Civic Forest but we just took the quick path up to the castle and back (with a pit stop by the shisas, of course).

The castle is a really cool play structure that you can walk up to the top of for pretty views of the city (and cool pictures in a castle)! It’s a pretty quick trip and worth the novelty. I’d love to do some of the other trails (there’s a ropes course that sounds fun) but the short walk we did was enough for me, by myself with the two boys, in the summer heat.

It’s not too bad of a walk from the parking lot up to the castle area, a big open road, but the walk is uphill and gets just a little steep. The two-year-old didn’t complain too much but I also might have carried him the last little bit of the way. The cool statues and structures along the way helped motivate him though. There was a vending machine right by the parking lot so we grabbed juice before starting the walk. A fair amount of spiders were on this walk but it was also pretty shaded on a very hot day, so it evens out.

Waylon approval: 7/10

4. Nagojyo Ruins, Nago, Okinawa.

There are a lot of trails and options in this area! It’s a 71.1-hectare park (which again I don’t know the conversion for that but it means it’s big). We didn’t actually see the castle ruins. Instead we walked to the [Instagram] famous bridge and then up to a playground and back.

This walk was a hard one for Waylon, mostly because I just planned the timing poorly and he was tired (and hot, always hot). That being said there was a lot to motivate him (and a lot that also made him throw fits when it was time to move on to the next thing). For me, it was worth putting up with his sass for the scenery.

The playground had a couple of different play areas with structures for different age levels. There was also a little zip line, a big roll-down slide, bathrooms, and (thank god) a vending machine with juice. We had stopped by another vending machine that didn’t have anything kid-friendly (besides water but I always have water on me), so Waylon was a little unhinged. There were also really pretty views of the city from the playground which was a plus!

Although we only did that quick little walk, there were plenty of little cut-out parking lots along the drive through the park. So there were a lot of opportunities to stop and soak in pretty the scenery. Another plus is that there was only a brief little spot that we walked through that was buggy and besides that, I didn’t notice any.

As soon as I got the boys back in the car they both passed out. So getting to see a few more points of interest like the ones above and below from the road was a bonus! I’ve also heard that this park is gorgeous when the cherry blossoms come out. So we’ll definitely be back to explore different areas of the park in the cooler weather!

Waylon approval: 4/10 before juice, 8/10 after juice.

5. Daigusuku, Nakagusuku, Okinawa.

We actually had planned to go see some castle ruins (that ended up being closed due to the SOE) the day we stumbled upon this little walk as a great backup plan.

This walk starts in a large parking lot that already has some pretty great views, grass areas with benches to hang out in, a large restroom, and a vending machine! The walk itself is a shaded nature walk up to a lookout with stunning views all around. There were lots of spiders on this walk that were very close to being on the path but it was still a very beautiful walk.

There were a lot of stairs on this one and we didn’t come at the best time of day (again… I know) so I don’t know that Waylon would put this one on his list of favorite outings. I had to carry him most of the way up and it wasn’t the easiest feat but we regrouped at the top. I surveyed the views, Waylon surveyed the spiders and the walk back down was a breeze.

Waylon approval: 5/10

6. Yachononori Natural Park, Uruma, Okinawa.

This little trail was definitely a family favorite! I think it’s supposed to be a bird observation spot but we didn’t really observe any birds (we also weren’t looking). There was a nature trail that led up to a super cool observation deck. The observation deck had a bunch of different levels and a cool tree theme going on which kept Waylon’s interest and got him excited to climb the different flights of stairs.

There were multiple levels with different kinds of seating and shaded space. The top was the only deck without shading but being pretty high up there was a good breeze.

The views from each level were cool especially with the tree structures, but the top was the most magical part, of course. Plus you get some steps in climbing up all the flights. The last little bit up was the steepest but we all made it up without a problem.

There were bathrooms at the bottom (that were also in a cool tree-like structure) but we didn’t see any vending machines. There weren’t very many bugs on the walk up to the tower, but I made us take the loop back through the woods before going back to the car which was maybe a mistake. Waylon didn’t really want to walk it, and the path was littered with spiders. I saw the biggest Golden Orb Weaver I had seen yet and almost cried but I’m pretty sure I came out on the other side stronger…perhaps.

Waylon approval: 9/10

It seems that there are hidden trails around every bend of this island. So far we’ve done most of our exploring in the central cities (or towns) of Okinawa. We’ve seen so many different sites already and have only barely scratched the surface. Luckily we have plenty of time left on the island to soak it all in and expand our recommendations lists for ya!

As always, happy exploring and enjoy those little moments!