**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.
Three DLNR Projects Recognized During Preservation Honor Awards
Posted on May 22, 2021Friday evening, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation(HHF) presented its 47th Annual Preservation Honor Awards during a virtual ceremony. Two programs/projects of the DLNR Division of State Parks and one DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) project were recognized.
A programmatic award was given to the Division of State Parks and its partners for the Hāʻena State Park Master Plan. The community-based plan prioritized the protection, rehabilitation, and restoration of the Kaua‘i park’s archaeological, cultural and natural resources. Since the implementation of the plan in mid-2019 after historical flooding had closed the park and the adjacent Napali Coast State Wilderness Park, community and cultural advisory groups were given responsibility to help oversee park access and its significant resources.
State Parks Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter commented, “Historic sites and features are often overshadowed by the picturesque landscapes and lush vegetation in Hawaii’s parks and forests, but they are critically important to protect and preserve as tangible connections to the past.”
The restoration of the Allerton Caretaker’s Cottage and the Montgomery House in Hāʻena State Park were recognized by HHF with a project award. Both historic structures, once in danger of falling down, were restored as integral components of the implementation of the master plan.
Allerton was restored for use by park rangers and for cultural practitioners at the Ka-ulu-o-Paoa heiau and the Ke-Ahu-a-Laka hulu platform. Montgomery House was restored for multiple purposes including educational programs, use by park staff, and by community volunteers who maintain the traditional lo‘i kalo at Hāʻena.
On O‘ahu, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife and its partners also received project recognition for new protection measures at Kaniakapūpū ruins.
The measures were implemented after several serious episodes of vandalism to Kamehamea III’s summer palace. The project included installation of paths, signage, and felling of large trees that were considered as threats to the historical structures and site.
Kapu (keep out) signage was mounted near the Kaniakapūpū entrance, indicating it is a restricted site and access is only by permit.
HHF Executive Director Kiersten Faulkner wrote, “The Honor Awards showcase many of the place that give the Hawaiian Islands their unique texture. These achievements inspire and education not only us today but future generations as well. We are appreciative of the many people represented through these preservation awards.” There were thirteen Preservation Award Honorees statewide.
