Maui Nui State Park Closures Begin on Tuesday

Haili land formation at Waiʻānapanapa State Park. File photo by Wendy Osher.

Update: 8:36 a.m. HST 9.11.18:

The DLNR Division of State Parks has decided to keep all Hawai’i island park units open on Tuesday, Sept. 11, based on the current track of tropical storm Olivia. Early park closures on Maui (outlined below) remain in place, including the noon closure of Waiʻānapanapa State Park on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, and the closure of other Maui Nui lands at their regular closing times.

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All Hawai‘i island and Maui Nui lands under the jurisdiction of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife are closing at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018.

The closures are in advance of Hurricane Olivia which is approaching Hawai‘i now.

DLNR Chair Suzanne Case explained, “This is standard operating procedure for our publicly accessible lands and is a prudent approach to keep everyone out of harm’s way during these hurricanes and tropical storm events. We know it may be an inconvenience for people, particularly those who have camping permits, but our top priority is keeping everyone…staff and visitors’ safe until the storm has passed.”

DOFAW managed lands on Hawai‘i and Maui include all: forest reserves, natural area reserves, game management areas, wildlife sanctuaries, public hunting areas and Na Ala Hele trails.

DLNR Division of State Parks closures include:

• Waiʻānapanapa State Park, Maui-Closing at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018
• Other Maui Nui Parks-Closing at regular closing times on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018
• Hawai‘i island, East side parks-closing at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018
• Hawai‘i island, West side parks-will be evaluated for closing as the storm approaches

All closures remain in effect until further notice pending impact assessments. People with camping and lodging permits have been notified via e-mail about refunds or rescheduling their visits.

All state small boat harbors, operated by the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation will remain open during the storm and provide safe harbor for small vessels.

Additional forest lands and parks on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i may be closed as the trajectory of Hurricane Oliva becomes clearer. DLNR will provide updates through the news media and via the DLNR website and on the DLNR Facebook page.