**IMPORTANT PARK NOTICES**
Monitor weather reports before your park visit
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[MAUI] - UPDATE 4/10/25: Makena State Park is CLOSED to vehicular access due to ponding from heavy rains. Park is open to pedestrian access.
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[KAUA’I] - UPDATE 4/10/25: Kalalau Trail, Nāpali Coast SWP is CLOSED today. Ha’ena shuttle is SUSPENDED today.
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[MOLOKA’I] - UPDATE 3/24/25: Pala’au State Park Pavilion: Due to demolition and renovation work, the pavilion will be closed from March 25 to May 31.
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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.
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[OʻAHU] - UPDATE 3/18/25: Mauna ʻAla, Royal Mausoleum State Monument will be undergoing improvements that may temporarily prevent vehicular access. Please check the Royal Mausoleum State Monument website for updates.
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[OʻAHU] UPDATED 3/18/25 – Diamond Head State Monument (DHSM): Full Park Closures will occur Tuesdays through Fridays beginning April 1 to April 11 and also Monday through Thursday April 14 to April 17. Partial Park Closures Hours with operating hours from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM will occur on Monday April 7 during this time, and will resume from April 21 onwards Monday through Friday, (except weekends and holidays). Normal Park Hours from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM will resume during Spring Break March 17 to March 28, Good Friday Holiday on April 18, and Weekends. During Partial Park Closures Hours from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM, the last reservation time slot for Parking and Entry and Entry Only 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. The project began January 6, 2025, and will run to July 25, 2025, or upon completion of the rock fall mitigation construction project at the Kahala Tunnel. Please check back for updates.
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[MAUI] UPDATE 3/4/25 - Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area: Beginning April 1, 2025 through April 30, 2025 the park, cabin campgrounds and access road to Polipoli Forest Reserve will be closed due to tree mitigation work.
Watch “Renegades, Risks, and Rewards of the Napali Coast” – now available online
Posted on Apr 28, 2016To view the special online, click HERE.
Repeated sweeps of the Kalalau Section of the famed Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park on Kauaʻi since the first of the year, have resulted in 104 people receiving citations for unpermitted presence in the area. One man was arrested for four different violations. Under State law, only people with camping permits from the DLNR Division of State Parks can travel beyond Hanakāpīʻai Stream, at the two-mile mark of the 11-mile-long trail.
“Under my administration the DLNR Division of Conservation & Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and the DLNR Division of State Parks are working closely together to bring Kalalau closer to its true wilderness character,” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case. “It’s discouraging to see the illegals disrespect the ‘aina and impact cultural sites by supporting a higher number of people than the park can sustain. We want to be on the record that DLNR is serious about shutting down commercial activity which has allowed illegal campers to bring in hundreds of tons of rubbish to be simply left at Kalalau for staff to clean up and dispose of. Kalalau should be a true wilderness experience” Case added.
Over the past nine months, DLNR has documented the Kalalau law enforcement sweeps of the illegal activity, in addition to the regular clean-up operations conducted with costly helicopter support for State Park staff. Video tape of these activities has resulted in the production of a one-half hour television special: “Renegades, Risks, and Rewards of the Nāpali Coast.”
It debuts on KFVE-TV (K5) on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. with a repeat on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. KFVE General Manager, John Fink, said, “We are pleased to be able to join with DLNR in providing this important show about both safety for outdoor enthusiasts and respect for our ‘aina”. The program shows officers interacting with legal and illegal campers, many of whom were cited or arrested. It also depicts the tremendous effort and costs involved in airlifting thousands of tons of trash and human waste from the wilderness park each year. In the “risk” segment, viewers will learn about some of the dangers facing the unprepared or over-confident Nāpali visitor.
Curt Cottrell, the administrator of the DLNR Division of State Parks, said, “There are few places in Hawaii that contain the unique and stunning natural and cultural features as those found in Kalalau and along the greater Nāpali Coast. The dramatic rain sculpted cliffs and the pockets of white sand beaches are likely some of the most highly photographed and promoted landscapes on the planet. Our kuleana, (responsibility) is to muster the resources to ensure that Kalalau is preserved and that people, either hiking in, viewing it from the ocean in a tour boat or on a kayak, or simply flying overhead in a helicopter see this park as a wilderness with a rich cultural history, and not one marred by trash, overuse, illegal activity, or simply bad behavior.” In the first quarter of 2016 State Parks maintenance crews gathered, bagged, and airlifted more than four tons of rubbish out of the park. In addition they shoveled 2,400 pounds of human waste from composting toilets into six large barrels that were also flown out of Kalalau.
The remoteness of the Nāpali Coast creates a special set of challenges for both maintenance crews and conservation officers. DOCARE Chief Thomas Friel, commented, “In a perfect world we would have a 24-7 law enforcement presence at Kalalau, but given the logistics and expense involved, that’s not reasonable. What we can tell those – who in many cases have been operating illegal commercial operations at Kalalau for years – we know who you are and it’s just a matter of time before you are cited or arrested. Not only are you breaking the law but you are possibly putting your life and the lives of your clients at risk.” During filming of the TV special, DLNR recorded several jet ski operators bringing passengers and their stuff onto Kalalau Beach during extremely high winter surf. Passengers report paying the drivers between $125-$150 for a lift to or from the beach.
Renegades, Risks & Rewards of the Nāpali Coast will be posted in its entirety to DLNR web and social media pages after its initial airing Saturday night on K5. The television station will also provide a link to the show on its website.
