Photo Credit: Tim DelaVega
hawaii wave

**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**

⚠️Monitor weather reports and ocean conditions before your park visit. 

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[O‘AHU] UPDATE  2/20/26 - KA‘ENA POINT STATE PARK, MOKULE‘IA SECTION: Park is CLOSED due to saturated roads and inclement weather. Kaʻena Point Vehicle Access Permits available now. 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.

CAMPING SUSPENDED AT SAND ISLAND STATE RECREATION AREA

Posted on Aug 30, 2024

Due to constant disregard of numerous state parks camping rules, reckless nighttime behavior, and campers frequently leaving campsites littered with rubbish and used camping gear, the DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP) is suspending camping at Sand Island State Recreation Area beginning August 23.

 

DSP Administrator Curt Cottrell said, “This behavior is overwhelming the park caretaker and maintenance crew who clean up the campsites and park. It is jeopardizing public safety and diminishing the quality of the park.”         

 

The list of observed violations includes:   

 

  • People attempting to camp without permits.
  • Staying in a campsite after a permit expires, making maintenance a challenge to prepare the site for the next group.
  • Consuming alcohol and engaging in disruptive and noisy behavior throughout the night, carrying over into daylight hours.
  • Ignoring the 10-person limit per campsite and frequently having more than 30 people stay overnight. This includes people entering the park after it is closed to join others at campsites, frequently waiting outside the gate to get picked up while drinking and being raucous and noisy.
  • Leaving rubbish at campsites and spreading litter during the night throughout the park and ignoring the rubbish cans that are next to each site. 
  • Lighting illegal fires, including children starting fires in areas outside campgrounds.

 

Officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) can and will issue citations for   illegal behaviors. Once a new Civil Resource Violations System (CRVS) is up and running, officers will be able to write citations and levy fines on the spot. The goal of CRVS is to modify behaviors. Until this enforcement strategy can be instituted, DSP is suspending camping indefinitely.