Photo Credit: Tim DelaVega
hawaii wave

**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**

Monitor weather reports before you park

[MOLOKA\'I] - UPDATE 3/24/25: Pala'au State Wayside Park Pavilion: Due to demolition and renovation work, the pavilion will be closed from March 25 to May 31.

[OʻAHU] - UPDATE 3/24/25: The Nu'uanu Pali State Wayside is closed indefinitely due to police activity in the area.  Please avoid the area until further notice.

[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.

[OʻAHU] - UPDATE 3/18/25: Mauna ʻAla, Royal Mausoleum State Monument will be undergoing improvements that may temporarily prevent vehicular access. Please check the Royal Mausoleum State Monument website for updates.

[OʻAHU] UPDATED 3/18/25 – Diamond Head State Monument (DHSM): Full Park Closures will occur Tuesdays through Fridays beginning April 1 to April 11 and also Monday through Thursday April 14 to April 17.  Partial Park Closures Hours with operating hours from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM will occur on Monday April 7 during this time, and will resume from April 21 onwards Monday through Friday, (except weekends and holidays).   Normal Park Hours from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM will resume during Spring Break March 17 to March 28, Good Friday Holiday on April 18, and Weekends. During Partial Park Closures Hours from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM, the last reservation time slot for Parking and Entry and Entry Only will be 12:00 p.m. If you reserved at 12:00 p.m., you must enter the Park no later than 12:30 p.m. or you will be denied entry. The project began January 6, 2025, and will run to July 25, 2025, or upon completion of the rock fall mitigation construction project at the Kahala Tunnel. Please check back for updates.

[MAUI] UPDATE 3/4/25 - Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area: Beginning April 1, 2025 through April 30, 2025 the park, cabin campgrounds and access road to Polipoli Forest Reserve will be closed due to tree mitigation work. 

New Fees at Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Parks

Posted on Jun 24, 2019

NEW FEES AT KOKE‘E & WAIMEA CANYON STATE PARKS

Only For Commercial Tours & Out-Of-State Visitors

 

(Honolulu) –  Out-of-state visitors and commercial tour buses will begin paying parking fees at Koke‘e and Waimea Canyon State Parks on Kaua‘i beginning Friday, June 28, 2019.

These fees were approved by Governor Ige in December of 2015 and had previously been approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) in 2010. A DLNR Division of State Parks analysis of parking and entry fees for large state parks frequented by visitors and commercial tours companies were identified as a source for critically needed operating funds.

In April the BLNR approved the issuance of Revocable Permits to Republic Parking for the management of parking and entry to Hāʻena State Park and to Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Parks. Parking and entrance fees at Ha’ena were instituted in conjunction with the park’s reopening on June 17.

Due to the devastating Kauai floods in April of 2018, Hāʻena State Park, Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park and the popular Kalalau Trail and campground were closed and State Parks issued thousands of dollars in camping refunds. This also means no camping fees were collected during the 14-month-long closure.

Additionally, the closure of the Nu‘uanu Pali Lookout on O‘ahu due to rockslides also contributed to an additional loss of fee based parking and entry revenue. State Parks estimates this will be a $100,000 shortfall by August. These events collectively resulted in a significant loss in State Park revenue to supplement park unit operating funds.  

Kokee Waimea Canyon SP Media Clips from Hawaii DLNR on Vimeo.

Division of State Parks Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter commented, “With Hāʻena reopening, there is an increase in operating and maintenance costs. As we now establish visitor limits, the parking and entrance fees generated at Hāʻena will be modest and this revenue is extra important.”

DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said, “With Hawai‘i seeing record numbers of tourists (over 10 million projected for this year) we are simply at the point where we need visitors to share in the increased costs to maintain our parks.”

Division of State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell concluded, While fees are an essential fiscal tool for enhancing park operating funds, they can be severely jeopardized by devastating natural events that force the revenue generating park to be closed. As such, increases in both general funds and allocations of the transient accommodation tax are also needed for a stable, balanced and resilient State Park operating fund portfolio.”

Waimea Canyon and Koke‘e State Park fees: 

  • Resident: no charge
  • Visitor: $5.00 per vehicle
  • Pedestrian, moped, motorcycle $1.00 dollar per person 

Commercial PUC vehicle:

  • 1-7 passenger vehicles: $10.00
  • 8-25 passenger vehicles: $20.00
  • 26 + passenger vehicles: $40.00 (Waimea Canyon SP only)