Photo Credit: Tim DelaVega
hawaii wave

**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**

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

[OʻAHU] UPDATED 11/4/24 – Kaʻena Point State Park, Mokuleʻia Section: The 2024 Kaʻena Point permit and decal is being extended through 2025. You do not need to apply for a new permit now, you will be notified when applications open next year. Take good care of your decal, we cannot replace decals. Please remember to take rubbish bags home, do not leave it a the trash bins. 

[KAUAʻI] UPDATED 11/4/24 – Waimea Canyon State Park/Kōkeʻe State Park: Paving will take place on Waimea Canyon Road leading into Puʻu Hinahina Lookout on Wednesday, November 6 limiting vehicle access into and out of the lookout parking lot from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Pedestrian access will remain open, and vehicles can access the lookout before and after the closure.

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.