**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
⚠️ Always monitor weather reports and ocean conditions before your park visit.
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[O’AHU] UPDATE 3/30/26
Kaʻena Point State Park, Mākua-Keawaʻula Section: CLOSED due to flooding and collapsed road on Farrington Highway.
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Kaʻena Point State Park, Mokulēʻia Section: CLOSED due to saturated and eroded roads.
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Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park and Camping REOPEN this weekend.
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[MAU’I] UPDATE 3/30/26
Waiʻānapanapa State Park : Currently CLOSED to parking, park entry, tent camping, camper van camping and all cabin reservations, anticipated REOPEN on March 31st.
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Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area: Polipoli cabins and camping areas are CLOSED until further notice.
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Iao Valley State Monument: Currently CLOSED until further notice. Parking and entry CLOSED until April 26.
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Kaumahina State Wayside CLOSED.
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[HAWAI’I] UPDATE 3/25/26
Akaka Falls State Park: Water and comfort station CLOSED, park open with portable toilets.
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Kiholo State Park Reserve: Road CLOSED to vehicles due to erosion until further notice, pedestrian access remains opened. Camping remains CLOSED.
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Lapakahi State Historical Park: CLOSED until further notice due to unsafe trails and water bars.
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[KAUAʻI] 3/24/26
Polihale State Park and camping is CLOSED until further notice due to mud and debris removal.
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Kalalau trail OPENED.
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Pāʻulaʻula State Historic Site: CLOSED for construction.
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[MOLOKAʻI] 3/23/26
Palaʻau State Wayside and camping areas CLOSED for renovations until May 4.
Free, Reef Friendly Sunscreen Now Available at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area
Posted on Nov 22, 2021The first non-chemical sunscreen dispenser in a Hawai‘i State Park was unveiled this morning. It’s a nod to the growing movement and legislation to get ocean users and beach goers to only apply mineral-based sun protection – to protect sensitive coral reef systems around the state.
Dena Sedar, an interpretive specialist with the DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP), coordinated the partnership that funded the sunscreen station at the Waialae section of Hāpuna State Recreation Area on the west coast of Hawai‘i Island.
She and other ocean advocates were on hand this morning to greet beach visitors with information on coral reef protection and the detrimental impacts chemical-based sunscreens have on corals, which are considered the foundation for healthy oceans.
Sedar invited a man to be the first person to use some mineral sunscreen, which contain either zinc or titanium. Another man then slathered his head with the free sunscreen product. When asked. other visitors told Sedar that they either had already applied sunscreen or had some with them.
In recent years Hawai‘i has made strides in attempting to reduce the volume of sunscreen chemicals flowing into the ocean. A statewide ban on the sale of sunscreens containing two specific chemicals went into effect earlier this year. Just today the Maui County Council was considering a ban on the sale of all chemical-based sunscreens.
“Certainly, there has been great progress and increased awareness from both visitors and residents about the damage chemical sunscreens cause,” Sedar noted. “However, I still cringe when I see people applying chemical sunscreens or using aerosols. I want to approach them and explain that this is damaging the very reefs they’re about to snorkel on.”
She hopes the very visible dispenser at Waialea Bay will see heavy use. It was identified as a good place to start due to its extensive coral cover and the fact it was impacted greatly by coral bleaching events in recent years. Chemical sunscreens have been shown to slow or prevent recovery from bleaching events, disease, and other disturbances to coral reefs.
Sedar hopes other beach locations will see dispensers in the future. In addition to DSP other partners in the Waialea project were mineral sunscreen maker Raw Elements and the Coral Reef Alliance.
