**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
Monitor weather reports before your park visit!
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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 if you haven't already. 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/malaekahana-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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[OʻAHU] - 7/25/25: Sand Island State Recreation Area – Camping will be CLOSED for construction from August 30th, 2025 – December 31, 2025.
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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.
‘IAO VALLEY STATE MONUMENT REOPENS MAY 1
Posted on Apr 15, 2023New Reservation System to be in Place
(KAHULUI, MAUI) – Following a nine-month closure for slope stabilization work, one of the most popular parks in the DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP) system is scheduled to reopen next month. The May 1st reopening will also mark the fourth Hawai‘i park requiring advance reservations for out-of-state visitors.
Advance reservations for ‘Iao State Monument open on Monday, April 17 at 9am Hawaiʻi time, two weeks prior to the scheduled park reopening. All Hawai’i State Parks day-use reservations can be made at https://gostateparks.hawaii.gov. The parking fee is $10 per vehicle. The additional non-resident entrance fee is $5 per person, with children under three-years of age, free. There are separate fees for commercial vehicles.
Hawai‘i residents with a valid driver’s license or State ID, continue to get into all State Parks free of charge.
Non-resident reservations are already required at Hā’ena State Park on Kaua‘i, Diamond Head State Monument on O‘ahu, and at Waiʻānapana State Park on Maui.
The ‘Īao reservation system will mirror the ones used at Diamond Head and Waiʻānapana, introduced following the pandemic and the result of overcrowding and a glut of commercial tours.
DSP Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter hopes that with the addition of a reservation system at ‘Īao, and other parks slated to have them in the future, visitors will know well in advance of arriving in Hawai‘i they’ll need reservations at some of the most popular parks. “It’s been four years since we began requiring reservations at Hā’ena State Park. The complaints from those who fail to secure one have steadily decreased, and we expect with the addition of ‘Iao reservations people will become more aware of the need to get a reservation for these four popular parks,” Carpenter explained. He continued: “But the true silver lining to these systems is the ability for local residents to return to these spaces they felt pushed out of for years by throngs of tourists.”
