**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.
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.
