**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
⚠️ Always monitor weather reports and ocean conditions before your park visit.
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[O’AHU] UPDATE 3/20/26
Due to severe weather conditions, all State Parks on the islands of Oʻahu will be closed effective immediately Friday, March 20, 2026, through at least Sunday March 22, 2026. This closure includes all camping, hiking trails, halls, pavilions, and planned events to ensure the safety of the public. Closures will remain in effect until damage assessments are completed.
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[MAU’I] UPDATE 3/19/26
Waiʻānapanapa State Park : Waiʻānapanapa State Park remains closed to parking, park entry, tent camping, campervan camping, and all cabin reservations. All reservations from Monday, March 23 through Sunday, March 30, 2026, have been cancelled, and closures will be extended as needed based on current conditions with no electricity, and water restrictions.
Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area: Polipoli cabins and camping areas are closed until further notice due to storm impacts on access road.
Iao Valley State Monument: Closed till March 30, tentative date to re-open on March 31st.
Makena Beach State Park: Open for business.
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[KAUAʻI] UPDATE 3/18/26 - The Kalalau trail will be open tomorrow morning, 3-19-26.
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[HAWAI’I] UPDATE 3/18/26
East Hawaii – All parks open
West Hawaii:
Kealakekua State Historical Park – Open
Manuka Wayside – Open
Kekaha Kai (Manini Owali & mahai’ula Sections) – Park Open / Water Clear
Kiholo State Park Reserve – Camping Closed due to hazardous trees above campground *Waiting for Contractor to respond / Day Use is open to the public.
Hapuna/Waialea SRA – Park Open / Water clear
Lapakahi State Historical Park – Park Open to look out / Trails closed to debris and water bar damage.
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[KAUAʻI] UPDATE 3/16/26 - Polihale State Park closed until further notice due to mud and debris removal. Pāʻulaʻula State Historic Site closed for construction. Kōkeʻe State Park, Waimea Canyon State Park, and Wailua River State Park is open. Hāʻena State Park - Day use and overnight campers allowed to enter for the day. Overnight campers not allowed to go past Hanakapiai Valley, only to Hanakapiai Falls. A sign will be posted on the trail after Hanakapiai beach heading to Kalalau.
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[HAWAIʻI] UPDATE 3/5/26 – ʻAKAKA FALLS STATE PARK: Dept. of Water Supply shut off water in the area until further notice affecting the park.
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[O‘AHU] UPDATE 3/4/26 - KA‘ENA POINT STATE PARK, MOKULE‘IA SECTION, VEHICLE ACCESS GATE [UPDATE 3/12 - temporarily closed due to storm]. You need the 2026 Gold decal adhered to the rear of your vehicle to enter the park, the accompanying permit account provides access to the gate combination online. The 2024-2025 Purple decals are no longer valid. Apply for a 2026 Kaʻena Point Vehicle Access Permit here. All applicants must create a NEW account and apply as a new applicant. We are experiencing significant delays in processing, we appreciate your continued patience. Vehicle access dirt road repairs are occurring to stabilize severe erosion, and armor problem areas with aggregate to reduce erosion and puddling, and improve road stability.
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[KAUAʻI, OʻAHU, HAWAIʻI] 2/10/26 – Wailua River State Park (Kauaʻi), Ahupuaʻa ʻO Kahana State Park (Oʻahu), Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park (Hawaiʻi): All commercial kayak operators must apply for a Rental Vessel Special Use Permit – Commercial Application, each kayak vessel requires a registered decal. Visit State Parks Permits page here and download and mail in the Rental Vessel Special Use Permit – Commercial Application.
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[ALL ISLANDS] UPDATE – 12/12/25: Camping - Reservations for February 1, 2026 and beyond available at https://explore.ehawaii.gov, please create an account on Explore Outdoor Hawaiʻi to make a camping reservation.
Reopening of State Parks Provides Access to Famed Kalalau Trail
Posted on Jun 14, 2019REOPENING OF STATE PARKS PROVIDES ACCESS TO FAMED KALALAU TRAIL
Community Group Recognized for Stewardship & Governor Ige Makes the Hike
(Hāʻena, Kaua‘i) – The eagerly anticipated reopening of Hāʻena State Park and the Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park on June 17, 2019, also allows for the highly anticipated reopening of the Kalalau Trail. Considered one of the most arduous and beautiful hikes in the world, the trail attracts thousands of global visitors who seek views of the spectacular Nāpali Coast, one of Hawai‘i’s most photographed and iconic vistas.
Visitors with newly instituted park entrance permits or Hawai‘i residents can make the four-mile-roundtrip jaunt to Hanakāpīʻai Stream or the eight-mile round trip up the valley to Hanakāpīʻai Falls without additional permits. Hiking beyond the two-mile mark at the stream crossing requires an overnight camping permit from the DLNR Division of State Parks. For the latest information: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/home/haena-napali-access/
All hikers can thank the Friends of the Kalalau Trail for their devoted support in helping maintain and restore sections of the first two miles of the trail. The remaining nine miles of this challenging trail that terminates in Kalalau, has been repaired and is maintained by the Division of State Park west side field crew.
The Friends group was recently recognized with a DLNR & YOU Citizens Conservationists Award from DLNR Chair Suzanne Case. During the award presentation Case thanked group leaders for their dedication and passion, particularly over the past few months, assisting prepare trail sections for reopening. They cut back vegetation, cleared accumulated debris and restored erosion control features, and smoothed spots that were damaged in the April 2018 flooding.
The movers and shakers behind the Friends group are Mark Hubbard, Bill Newton, and Frank Whitman. A decade ago, they spearheaded a volunteer program to provide continued maintenance. Their work supplements the field crew’s efforts and is credited with helping keep the historic trail safe and readily traversable. Hubbard commented, “Beginning in February this year we tried to make twice monthly trips to get Kalalau ready for reopening. There were a lot of muddy and sloped areas since no one had been on the trail for nearly a year.
We cut back a lot of overgrown brush and vegetation and restored water diversion features to help prevent erosion.” The trio and their small cadre of regular volunteers say they not only love the area and doing work that helps others, but it’s exciting to see the fruits of their labors. Hubbard added, “It’s like wow, we can walk along this trail and see hundreds of spots that we’ve fixed and repaired, that are still solid, and you know that’s gratifying.”
Hawai‘i Governor David Ige is among those also thankful for their efforts. He and First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige hiked a short section of the Kalalau Trail on June 5th after a community blessing at Hāʻena State Park. It was the governor’s first exposure to the trail, though Mrs. Ige had hiked it as a teenager. They both marveled at the first view visitors experience from the aptly named Windy Point. They hope to return with their three children for a longer hike.
The governor reflected on the changes that are coming with the reopening of the two state parks and the Kalalau Trail. He said, “As I’ve traveled around the state, I’ve heard more and more about how much, is too much? I think everybody acknowledges that the visitor industry is our number one industry. Everybody wants to support that… but when you see these kinds of trails and Hāʻena State Park, where everyone wants to visit, clearly too many people is just not a good experience for visitors or residents.”
Friends of the Kalalau Trail DLNR & YOU Citizen Conservationists Award Presentation (June 4, 2019):
Governor and First Lady Ige’s Kalalau Hike (June 5, 2019):
HD video – Friends of the Kalalau Trail workday and SOTs (April 12, 2019):
