**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
Monitor weather reports before your park visit!
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[KAUAʻI] – UPDATE 9/16/25: West Kauaʻi Park Units – State Parks is recruiting for a Park Maintenance Supervisor II for the West Kauaʻi Park units, including, Kokeʻe State Park, Na Pali Coast Wilderness Park, Paʻulaʻula State Historic Park, Polihale State Park, Waimea Canyon State Park, and Waimea State Recreational Pier. See position description here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/hawaii/jobs/5060650-0/park-maintenance-supervisor-ii-kokee-kauai
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[OʻAHU] – UPDATE 9/11/25: Kaʻena Point State Parks - Mokuleʻia Section – Kaʻena Point Vehicle Access Permits Closed for 2025. Purple 2024 permits valid through 2025. Please create an account on Explore Outdoor Hawaiʻi at https://explore.ehawaii.gov/Web/. You will need an Explore Outdoor Hawaiʻi account to apply for a 2026 Kaʻena Vehicle Access Permit, please create an account. Continue to check the Kaʻena Point State Park website for 2026 permit application updates.
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[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/
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[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.
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[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.
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[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.
CAMPING SUSPENDED AT SAND ISLAND STATE RECREATION AREA
Posted on Aug 30, 2024Due 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.
