Haleakalā Entrance Fees to Increase on June 1

Beginning on June 1, 2016, Haleakalā National Park daily entrance fees will be raised to meet national standards for parks with similar visitor amenities. The 2016 per-person fee will change from $8 to $10. The 2016 motorcycle fee will go from $10 to $15. The 2016 per-vehicle three-day pass will be raised from $15 to $20.

The cost of the Tri-Park Annual Pass will remain at the current rate of $25 in 2016. This pass is considered a local or kama`aina pass because it permits unlimited entry for one year to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, and Haleakalā National Park. In 2017 the cost of this pass will increase to $30.

From October to December 2014, the public was encouraged to comment on the proposed fee increases. Based on public input and nationwide goals to standardize park entrance fees, the park proposed a phased-in fee increase schedule and the tri-park kamaʻāina annual pass. The first increases were implemented in June 2015.

The current National Park Service fee program began in 1997 and allows parks to retain 80% of monies collected. The remaining 20% goes into a fund to support park units where fees are not charged. Since 1997, fee revenues have funded over $41.7 million in Haleakalā National Park projects.

Some ongoing work includes: native species restoration along the popular Pīpīwai Trail in Kīpahulu ($48,687); repairing and widening the Kuloa Point trail, which runs parallel to `O`heo Gulch ($225,000); restoring trails throughout the park ($500,000 annually); reconfiguring the Headquarters Visitor Center entranceway ($50,000 in 2016); completing archeological surveys ($499,500 in 2010); controlling invasive species ($299,000, in 2013); and stabilization of silversword populations ($60,000 annually, 2012-13).

Park entrance fee station. Photo courtesy Haleakalā National Park.

Work on Kuloa Point Trail, in Kīpahulu. Photo credit: Haleakalā National Park.

Silversword outplanting. Photo credit: Haleakalā National Park.