**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
Monitor weather reports before your park visit!
•
[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
•
[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.
•
[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/
•
[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.
•
[OʻAHU] - 7/25/25: Sand Island State Recreation Area – Camping will be CLOSED for construction from August 30th, 2025 – December 31, 2025.
•
[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.
•
[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.
New Fees at Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Parks
Posted on Jun 24, 2019NEW 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.
null
null
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)
