**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
Monitor weather reports before your park visit!
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[OʻAHU] – UPDATE 10/3/25: Sand Island State Recreation Area – Comfort stations are CLOSED until further notice due to a transformer issue impacting the pump. Portable toilets are available at each comfort station. Camping has continued to be CLOSED for construction from August 30th, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
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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. 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/announcements/malaekahana-state-recreation-area-rfq-rfp-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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[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.
Annual “First Day Hike” at Makapuu Lighthouse Trail on New Year’s Day
Posted on Dec 9, 2019Hundreds Expected to Ring in the New Year at Kaiwi Scenic Shoreline
(Honolulu) – It’s become an iconic New Year’s Day tradition in Hawai‘i and across the country. State Parks in all 50 states are again offering free, guided, First Day Hikes, on Jan. 1, 2020. In the Aloha State, the hike to the Makapu‘u Lookout at the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline is actually self-guided; just follow the crowd up the one-mile-long, paved path for stunning views as the sun rises at 7:09 a.m.
“Hawai‘i’s unique version of the New Year’s Day hike not only provides the means for individuals and families to welcome the coming year in the outdoors, exercising and connecting with nature, but we blend in multi-culturalism,” explained Curt Cottrell, Administrator of the DLNR Division of State Parks. As in year’s past, the crowd at the top will be treated to the traditional blowing of a pu (conch shell) to herald in the first sunrise of the year, followed by an oli and then a performance by the drummers of the Taiko Center of the Pacific. Cottrell continued, “Not only are the views stunning, with the possibility of seeing Humpback whales breaching in the ocean below, but the sounds and sights of the pu, the oli, and the taiko drummers give repeat and new visitors alike, chicken skin.”
The Kaiwi First Day Hike, has often been the best-attended in the country, due largely to Hawai‘i’s mild winter weather, the ease of the hike, and the fact that it is very family friendly and designed for anyone, no matter their hiking ability. As many as 700 people have made the trek in past years. The gates to the park will open at 5 a.m. to give people plenty of time to get to the top before the sun rises. Participants are encouraged to bring a light jacket, rain gear if needed, water, and leashes and poop bags for dogs. There are no restroom facilities at Kaiwi. Please remember to pack out all rubbish.
According to America’s State Parks, last year nearly 55,000 people rang in the New Year, collectively hiking over 133,000 miles throughout the country. Numerous others hiked state park trails throughout the day. Hawai‘i’s and America’s state parks programs are committed to promoting outdoor recreation in hopes to help address obesity, especially in children.
Furthermore, exercise and outdoor activities rejuvenate the mind and body, promoting overall mental and physical health and wellness. Many believe that time spent in nature enhances creativity and lifts our moods!
