Photo Credit: Tim DelaVega
hawaii wave

**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**

Monitor local surf and weather reports prior to your park visit.

[KAUAʻI] UPDATED 4/26/24 –Kalalau Trail, Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park: Camping permits held back for local residents during summer, see Kalalau Trail site for more information.

[O’AHU] UPDATED 4/20/24 – Vehicle access road in the Mokuleʻia Section of Ka’ena Point State Park is OPEN. Keawa’ula Section of Ka’ena Point State Park: water pump down; comfort station closed; portable toilets available.

[KAUAʻI] UPDATED 3/18/24 – Kōkeʻe State Park: The gate to Puʻu O Kila Lookout will be closed to vehicular traffic due to road repairs beginning 3/19/24. The lookout will still be accessible by pedestrians, parking is available at Kalalau lookout.

‘IAO VALLEY STATE MONUMENT REOPENS MAY 1

Posted on Apr 15, 2023

New Reservation System to be in Place

(KAHULUI, MAUI) – Following a nine-month closure for slope stabilization work, one of the most popular parks in the DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP) system is scheduled to reopen next month. The May 1st reopening will also mark the fourth Hawai‘i park requiring advance reservations for out-of-state visitors. 

Advance reservations for ‘Iao State Monument open on Monday, April 17 at 9am Hawaiʻi time, two weeks prior to the scheduled park reopening.  All Hawai’i State Parks day-use reservations can be made at https://gostateparks.hawaii.gov. The parking fee is $10 per vehicle. The additional non-resident entrance fee is $5 per person, with children under three-years of age, free. There are separate fees for commercial vehicles.

Hawai‘i residents with a valid driver’s license or State ID, continue to get into all State Parks free of charge.

Non-resident reservations are already required at Hā’ena State Park on Kaua‘i, Diamond Head State Monument on O‘ahu, and at Waiʻānapana State Park on Maui.

The ‘Īao reservation system will mirror the ones used at Diamond Head and Waiʻānapana, introduced following the pandemic and the result of overcrowding and a glut of commercial tours.

DSP Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter hopes that with the addition of a reservation system at ‘Īao, and other parks slated to have them in the future, visitors will know well in advance of arriving in Hawai‘i they’ll need reservations at some of the most popular parks.  “It’s been four years since we began requiring reservations at Hā’ena State Park. The complaints from those who fail to secure one have steadily decreased, and we expect with the addition of ‘Iao reservations people will become more aware of the need to get a reservation for these four popular parks,” Carpenter explained. He continued: “But the true silver lining to these systems is the ability for local residents to return to these spaces they felt pushed out of for years by throngs of tourists.”