**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
Monitor weather reports before your park visit.
•
[STATE PARKS] — UPDATE 11/19/25: Upcoming Parking Fees at Select State Parks -Starting soon, Hawai'i State Parks will begin implementing parking fees for visitors at four high-use parks: [KAUA'I] Wailua River State Park, [O'AHU] Pu'u 'U'ala Ka'a State Wayside, [HAWAI'I] Kekaha Kai State Park, and Wailuku River State Park. These changes will support ongoing maintenance, cultural and natural resource protection, and improved visitor services. Additional details, including official start dates and rates, will be shared in the coming weeks.
•
[KAUA'I] - 11/14/25: THE KALALAU TRAIL has REOPENED.
•
[OʻAHU] – UPDATE 11/12/25: Kaʻena Point State Parks - Mokuleʻia Section – Kaʻena Point Vehicle Access Permits: We anticipate Ka’ena applications to open at the end of December 2025.
•
[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.
•
[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/
•
[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.
•
[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.
Thousands of Dollars of Damage Done to Sign at Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline: Latest Vandalism Could Lead to Park Entrance Restrictions
Posted on Oct 6, 2020A $20,000 moveable, digital sign located at the Makapu‘u Lighthouse trailhead in the Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline park was seriously damaged sometime Sunday night.
Personnel from the DLNR Division of State Parks were notified Monday morning of the vandalism which totals thousands of dollars. Creighton “Ua” Mattoon of the O‘ahu State Parks crew said, “This sign clearly displayed the parking lot closing times for anyone walking up the trail. Apparently, someone had their car locked in and decided to take their anger out on State property.” Both taillights were smashed, both tires were slashed, and the solar panels that powered the sign were severely damaged by a rock or other sharp, heavy object. In addition, the sign’s control panel box was bent as the vandal tried unsuccessfully to open it.
Recently, two different times, $115 locks on the gate leading into the parking lot were destroyed; again, by individuals who did not pay attention to the park’s closing time and had their vehicles locked behind the gate. Notices are placed on windshields informing owners to just come back in the morning to retrieve their vehicles.
State Parks Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter, who locked the gates at Kaiwi on weekends for months early in the pandemic to cut management costs, added “While I was out there, it took me an hour on average to clear the park at night, and all visitors seemed appreciative and thankful to just be able to be experiencing the outdoors. I had to lock people in, but there were no incidents. It seems as COVID drags on, people are becoming more fatigued and angrier. This is totally counterproductive behavior and may ruin this experience for all.”
State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell, Carpenter, and Mattoon believe that residents are the likely culprits, as there are few visitors in Hawai‘i at this time. Cottrell concluded, “People need to realize that they’re only hurting themselves, their friends and their neighbors by these displays of destructive behavior. We simply cannot justify continuing to throw good money at bad behaviors. Where is the aloha and sense of pride? It’s a classic case of a very few people making life even more difficult for everyone else.”
Anyone who witnesses vandalism or destruction in Hawai‘i State Parks is urged to immediately call 9-1-1 or the DLNR Hotline at 643-DLNR or report using the free DLNRTip app.
