**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
⚠️ Always monitor weather reports and ocean conditions before your park visit.
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[KAUA’I] UPDATE 6/23/26
The Puu Hina Hina Parking Lot remains closed due parking lot striping.
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[MAUI] UPDATE 6/22/26
‘Iao Valley State Monument: Will be CLOSED until July 17, 2026 for safety improvements.
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Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area: Polipoli cabins and camping areas are CLOSED until further notice.
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[O’AHU] UPDATED 6/18/26
There will be an early closure at 5PM HST on Saturday July 4, 2026 for Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside (ʻUalakaʻa Trail) due to \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Fireworks Prohibited in the State Parks\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"
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[HAWAI’I] UPDATE 6/17/26
There will be an early closure at 5PM HST on Saturday July 4, 2026 for the West Hawaii State Parks (Kekaha Kai (Manini Owali & Mahai’ula), Kiholo, Hapuna SRA (Hapuna & Waialea) due to \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Fireworks Prohibited in the State Parks\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"
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[KAUA’I] UPDATED 5/27/26
Kalalau Trail from mile marker 2-11 after Hanakapiai Valley, will be CLOSED for a feral animal control hunt from June 1-4. The 2 miles of the trail from Keʻe beach at Haʻena State Park to Hanakapiai falls will remain open during this time.
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Puʻu Hinahina parking lot will be CLOSED for road work from May 25-29 and again from June 15-19.
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Koke’e State Park camping will be CLOSED for campground improvements. Construction to begin May 2026 and extend through Spring 2027.
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Pāʻulaʻula State Historic Site: CLOSED for construction.
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[O’AHU] UPDATED 6/10/26
Heʻeia State Park partial parking lot road closure due to landslide and upcoming stabilization work.
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Wahiawā Freshwater State Recreation Area: Portions of the park which access the reservoir (Also known as Lake Wilson) will be closed Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 1 a.m. the park will remain open to visitors for onshore activities, but lake access via the boat ramp, reservoir banks, and reservoir shores will not be allowed until further notice.
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Ka’ena Point State Park, Mākua Section has REOPENED to beach access. The Keawa’ula section remains CLOSED due to road repairs and damage due to the recent Kona Low storms. The Mokule’ia vehicle access road has REOPENED to valid permit holders - note some roads previously accessible have been closed due to storm damage - heed all road signs.
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[MOLOKAʻI] UPDATE 4/20/26
Pālāʻau State Park: Pālāʻau Wayside Pavilion and Campgrounds remain CLOSED until further notice.
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[HAWAI’I] UPDATED 4/10/26
Notice to bidders for Mobile Food Truck Concessions opened today for certain Hawai’i Island parks. More information at: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/announcements/mobile-food-truck-concessions-hawaii/
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Akaka Falls State Park: Water and comfort station CLOSED, park open with portable toilets.
A Unique Art Center in a Unique Building in a Unique State Park: Wailoa Center Education & Outreach Efforts Expanding
Posted on Jun 17, 2019(Hilo) – Wailoa State Recreation Area in Hilo is unique among Hawai‘i State Parks given it’s one of a few parks in an urban setting, right on the edge of downtown Hilo. What also makes this beautiful park unusual, is the unique building which houses the Wailoa Center, which is the largest venue on Hawai‘i Island for showcasing the work of local artists.
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The 12-sided (Dodecagon) building was completed in 1967, to help breathe new life into the green zone created by the devastating 1960 tsunami along Hilo’s Bayfront. Over the course of the past half-century the Wailoa Center has featured countless exhibits, including the popular 10X10X10 exhibit which just ended its 2019 run in the center’s main second floor gallery.
The long-time State Parks Interpretive Center Coordinator, Codi King, explained, “It’s ten artists that are each given a space and they have ten materials that they can use. One is by their choice and the other nine are materials that we chose. This ‘installation art’ gives them a new outlook on their art and gives then an out-of-the-box experience because this tends to push them to their creative limits.”
The Wailoa Center hosts 24 exhibits annually. Coming up in July is a month-long exhibit, titled, “Transformations,” which chronicles and depicts last year’s devastating eruption of Kīlauea which destroyed more than 700 homes and displaced hundreds of people in the lower Puna district of Hawai‘i Island. King expects this exhibit to help people heal, to be cathartic, and to be of great interest to the local community and to visitors.
On Friday the State Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) issued a revocable permit to the Hawai‘i Island Art Alliance (HIAA), which will allow the non-profit to expand into education at the Wailoa Center. This includes the potential of hiring visiting artists to teach classes for the community, the production of an annual art festival, and scholarships for keiki.
King commented, “It just opens up huge possibilities and opportunities for us. Teaching-artists in the community are looking forward to it because they want to share their experiences.
HIAA having the permit will jumpstart enthusiasm and propel us forward into continuing to support the arts and sponsoring more shows that are community based.”
Currently the center holds monthly receptions, often attended by more than 400 people. “When people attend an opening reception or peruse through the galleries of the Wailoa Center, we hope they will appreciate the beauty of the Wailoa River State Recreation Area,” said Dean Takebayashi, Hawai‘i Island Superintendent for the DLNR Division of State Parks. “It combines the artistic beauty of nature and the artistic creations of the artists, in one setting” he added.
