**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
Monitor weather reports before your park visit.
•
[STATE PARKS] — UPDATE 11/19/25: Upcoming Parking Fees at Select State Parks -Starting soon, Hawai'i State Parks will begin implementing parking fees for visitors at four high-use parks: [KAUA'I] Wailua River State Park, [O'AHU] Pu'u 'U'ala Ka'a State Wayside, [HAWAI'I] Kekaha Kai State Park, and Wailuku River State Park. These changes will support ongoing maintenance, cultural and natural resource protection, and improved visitor services. Additional details, including official start dates and rates, will be shared in the coming weeks.
•
[KAUA'I] - 11/14/25: THE KALALAU TRAIL has REOPENED.
•
[OʻAHU] – UPDATE 11/12/25: Kaʻena Point State Parks - Mokuleʻia Section – Kaʻena Point Vehicle Access Permits: We anticipate Ka’ena applications to open at the end of December 2025.
•
[OʻAHU] – UPDATE 10/3/25: Sand Island State Recreation Area – Comfort stations are CLOSED until further notice due to a transformer issue impacting the pump. Portable toilets are available at each comfort station. Camping has continued to be CLOSED for construction from August 30th, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
•
[O’AHU] - UPDATE 9/10/25: Mālaekahana State Recreation Area-Kahuku Section - State Parks is issuing a Request for Qualifications/Request for Proposals for parties interested in developing campgrounds. More info: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/announcements/malaekahana-state-recreation-area-rfq-rfp-2026/
•
[MOLOKA’I] - UPDATE 8/29/25: Pala’au State Park Pavilion: Due to continued renovation work, the pavilion and camping is CLOSED until further notice.
•
[KAUA’I] - 7/11/25: VISITORS TO WAIMEA CANYON AND KŌKEʻE STATE PARKS CAUTIONED TO EXPECT DELAYS AND LIMITED PARKING.
Beginning July 14, 2025, Waimea Canyon Lookout with be closed for construction of safety improvements through early December, 2025. This closure, in addition to several overlapping roadwork projects by both DOT-Highways and DLNR-State Parks, will cause delays, impact traffic patterns, and restrict overall parking capacity in these two popular parks through the end of the year. DOT work is continuing on Waimea Canyon Drive, while work on portions of Kōkeʻe Road from the Kalalau Lookout to Puʻu o Kila lookout will be starting the same week. Visitors can drive as far as the Kalalau Lookout, where improvements will also be initiated on July 17, with limited parking available. We urge patience and driving with care as these various improvements are ongoing. Local visitors are encouraged to enjoy these parks and lookouts on weekends, when most work will be suspended. Waimea Canyon Lookout will be closed for the duration of the project including weekends.
•
[KAUAʻI] - UPDATE 3/21/25: Pā‘ula‘ula State Historic Site - Due to construction improvements, the park closure will begin starting March 24 until further notice.
200 Year Old Window & Door Damaged In Hulihe’e Palace Break-In
Posted on Jun 18, 2021State Parks Pursues Emergency Repairs From Qualified Contractors
(Kailua-Kona)
“It is very sad to see this damage,” DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP) Archeologist, Tracy Tam Sing said after seeing a historic door and window at Hulihe‘e Palace vandalized last month. On June 1, 27-year-old Charleigh Flournoy of Kailua-Kona, allegedly broke into the historic palace by shattering a lanai window located on the lower makai side.
The intruder triggered alarms which notified staff. Before they were able to locate her, she wandered around, making her way upstairs to the makai lanai. Staff reported she unsuccessfully attempted to leave by repeatedly kicking a door made of koa, breaking off panels in the process.
She was then spotted by an on-site caretaker and exited the palace’s back door. A Hawai’i Police Department officer apprehended Flournoy after she jumped over a seawall and swam to the other side of Kailua Bay.
[custom_gallery source=”media: 5295,5294,5293,5292,5291,5290″ limit=”20″ link=”image” target=”self” width=”150″ height=”150″ title=”never”]Tam Sing inspected the damage three days later. The door and glass date back to the 1800’s, when King David Kalākaua renovated the palace. “Old glass is very hard to find, so repairs will have to use new aged glass instead,” he said. After the inspection, Tam Sing worked with the DLNR State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) to receive concurrence on emergency repairs. “We’re very thankful to SHPD for its timely review in order to do the repairs as soon as possible.”
DPS staff contacted Glenn Mason of Mason Architecture & Historic Consulting to order aged glass to replace the shattered window panel. They anticipate hiring a qualified carpenter to do the work, next week. Tam Sing added, “An essential qualification in repairing these historic features is experience in working with old or historic homes in order to complete a ‘same for same’ or ‘like for like’ restoration.”
The cost of the damage hasn’t been determined yet. Repair funds will come from DSP or through the insurance of Daughters of Hawai‘i, the non-profit operating and managing Hulihe‘e Palace.
