County announces access for noncommercial shoreline recreation near Lahaina Harbor starting Saturday

Beginning Saturday, May 24, 2025, access to the shoreline on the north and south ends of Lahaina Harbor will be made available for recreational, noncommercial purposes, the County of Maui Office of Recovery announced.

“The community has been asking for the opportunity to return to this area that has been a familiar recreational spot for generations,” said Mayor Richard Bissen. “Now that debris removal and other work has been completed in the area, we’re happy to be able to provide this limited shoreline access. It gives us hope to see wildlife and sand returning to the shoreline, and now surfers and beachgoers can return too.”

For access to the north end of the harbor, Lahaina Restoration Foundation will provide parking at the Baldwin Home parking lot via Dickenson Street. Access to the ocean will be allowed via a marked path from Dickenson Street to the stairwell makai of the library lot. Surfers going to the Harbors surf spot are encouraged to enter there.

For access to the south end of the harbor, the County-owned parking lot at 500 Front St. will be open during daylight hours. Beach access will be allowed via a marked path along Kamehameha Iki Park, which remains closed. Surfers going to the “Breakwall” surf spot or the inside right are encouraged to enter there.

The public is asked to follow signs on the marked paths and stay out of barricaded and fenced-off areas; entry to private property is not allowed. Parking along barricades is prohibited. 

Under this recreational shoreline access plan, barricades restricting access to Waineʻe Street will be removed and Dickenson Street will be open up to the Baldwin Home parking lot.

The following areas remain closed:

• Luakini Street from Lahainaluna Road to Prison Street, except for the Dickenson Street intersection
• Prison Street from Front Street to Luakini Street
• Malu ʻUlu o Lele Park and Mokuhinia Drive
• Front Street from Pāpalaua Street to Kamehameha Iki Park, which is closed to pedestrians. Barricades will remain in place to prevent access.
• Banyan Tree Park, King Kamehameha III Elementary School, and other public and private areas that are closed except for local access.
• Kamehameha Iki Park except for permitted shoreline access point.

In addition, Honoapi‘ilani Highway intersections with Pāpalaua, Prison and Dickenson streets may remain closed and barricaded, depending on Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation work on traffic signals.

Plans to remove the remaining barricades in Lahaina town, as well as the return of commercial activities at the harbor, are currently being coordinated by County and State agencies and will be communicated to the public once finalized.

Preliminary details of the shoreline access plan were presented at the Lahaina Community Meeting on May 7, 2025, at Lahaina Intermediate School cafeteria.

For updates related to Lahaina wildfire recovery, visit www.MauiRecovers.org.