**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
Monitor local surf and weather reports before your park visit.
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[OʻAHU] UPDATED 1/31/25 – Kaʻena Point State Park, Mokuleʻia Section: If you already have a 2024 permit, there is no need to renew your permit for calendar year 2025. Your 2024 permit will be accepted through 2025. New permit applications are not being accepted at this time. Take good care of your decal, we cannot replace decals.
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[MAUI] UPDATED 1/31/25 – Mākena State Park: Black Sand Beach access gate is CLOSED due to saturated roads. Open to pedestrian access, other gates open.
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[MAUI] UPDATED 1/31/25 – ʻĪao Valley State Monument: Park is CLOSED due to inclement weather.
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[MAUI] UPDATED 1/31/25 - Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area: Road currently CLOSED, Trees down on road, crews are working on its removal.
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[HAWAIʻI] UPDATED 1/31/25 – Kīholo State Park Reserve: Park and camping is currently CLOSED due to inclement weather, park conditions will be reassessed Saturday.
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[O’AHU] UPDATED 1/31/25 - He’eia State Park has REOPENED.
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[KAUA’I] UPDATED 1/31/25 – Kalalau Trail is CLOSED Ha’ena shuttle is SUSPENDED.
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[OʻAHU] UPDATED 1/28/25 – Kaʻena Point State Park, Mokuleʻia Section: CLOSED due to saturated roads. Keawa’ula section has REOPENED.
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[OʻAHU] UPDATED 1/28/25 – Diamond Head State Monument (DHSM): Full park closures will commence Tuesdays through Fridays beginning March 4 to March 28. All park facilities, trails, and picnic areas in the crater will be inaccessible to the public during this time.
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[OʻAHU] 1/24/25 – Diamond Head State Monument: Invitation For Bids (IFB) For Mobile Food Concession Contract at Diamond Head State Monument, Oʻahu – The IFB, including required forms for bidding, qualifications, specifications and contract, may be obtained from the DSP website: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/announcements/, or by emailing DLNR-Division of State Parks Property Manager; Ms. E. Keiki Kipapa at [email protected] Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time (HST) except Federal and State Holidays.
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12/16/24 – Diamond Head State Monument: Beginning January 6, 2025, to July 25, 2025, or upon completion of the construction project, the park will close at 2:00 p.m. Monday – Friday, (excluding weekends and holidays) due to a construction project. The last reservation time slot for Parking and Entry and Entry Only during this time 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. Please check back for updates.
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[MAUI] UPDATED 12/16/24 – Mākena State Park - Invitation For Bid For Sealed Bid Proposal To Provide A mobile Food Truck Concession At Mākena State Park on Maui. Any party that may be interested in providing a bid may inspect the concession premises by contacting DLNR-Division of State Parks Property Manager, Ms. E. Keiki Kipapa, by email to [email protected] Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time (HST) except Federal and State Holidays. See Full IFB: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/files/2024/12/SPM25-010A.pdf
Polihale State Park to Reopen for Overnight Camping
Posted on Aug 1, 2022
(KAUAʻI) – Over two years after closing, due to COVID concerns and overuse and abuse issues, Polihale State Park will reopen to overnight camping beginning August 14, 2022. Reservations will be available online starting August 1 and may be made up to 90 days in advance.
Since December 2020, Kaua‘i’s popular beach and camping area has been restricted to day-use only. Camping without permits, driving on the beach and dunes, and careless behavior in general led to the indefinite closure of the park that July. Going forward, the DLNR Division of State Parks (DSP) expects overnight visitors will camp responsibly and take steps to re-establish positive stewardship of the area.
Stories of Hawaiian marine life rebounding in the absence of people were myriad during the pandemic. Since the 2020 shutdown of Polihale, two monk seal pups have been born in the park. One was just weeks ago and mom is still nursing her on the beach. Notably, these are the first two recorded monk seal puppings at Polihale since 1962.
Aside from its natural beauty, with spectacular cliffs and a stunning beach, the park is also a setting of cultural significance. The sand dunes, with some reaching upwards of 100 feet high, contain Hawaiian burial sites and are key habitat for critically endangered plant species Lau‘ehu and ‘Ohai. The DSP hopes a greater awareness of the value of Polihale can change mindsets and improve the overall conduct of park users. However, DSP has taken proactive steps, including installing additional signs, and placing numerous boulders as barriers to unauthorized vehicle pathways through the most sensitive areas of the dunes, between Poʻoahonu (Queenʻs Pond) and the developed camping areas.
In addition, DLNR has enlisted the services of PBR Hawaiʻi to kickstart a public outreach and consultation effort with the aim of planning future management and improvements at Polihale to enhance protection of resources and quality of experience. PBR Hawaiʻi is the firm which helped shepherd the Hāʻena State Park Master Plan through implementation. That plan has been lauded as a model for community-based management and for mitigating overtourism. The Polihale survey is an opportunity for the community to share inputs and concerns on a vision for the park and can be accessed at the DLNR website.
The remote location and sheer size, however, make enforcement of park rules at Polihale a challenge. Should old abuses return, camping could be shut down again. That’s where help from dedicated residents comes in, as even with posted rules and hours, it is a shared kuleana.
“We look forward to welcoming overnight campers back to Polihale, in limited numbers as is befitting the place,” said DSP Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter. “The late summer timing of this reopening is deliberate, as holiday weekends have seen the heaviest use and most damage to Polihaleʻs fragile resources due to heavy use. By next summer, we intend to have additional protective measures in place, including a pair of new westside park interpretive technicians (Rangers) to patrol and educate park visitors.”
Mālama ka ‘aina includes staying alert to suspected illegal activity. Anyone who witnesses suspicious or illegal actions in a Hawai‘i State Park is asked to call the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) immediately at 643-DLNR (3567), or download (free of charge) the DLNR Tip app, which allows real-time reporting along with the submittal of photographs.
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RESOURCES
(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)
HD video – Polihale Lineal Descendants Plead for Good Behaviors (Feb. 9, 2021)
HD video – Polihale State Park (Dec. 2020)
Photographs – Polihale State Park (Dec. 2020)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/icw61br9tggdcpt/AAB3zi3yH12Qs3SnEyrZ-aHza?dl=0
To make online reservations:
https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/kauai/polihale-state-park/
To take the Polihale survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PolihaleSP
Media Contact:
Ryan Aguilar
Communications Specialist
Hawai’i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources
