Get Ready to Pay More to Visit Hawaii State Parks

When tourists return to Hawaii, they’ll have to be ready to pay more to visit Hawaii State Parks as the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources prepares to raise fees statewide.

Current Fees

Today, of the 55 State Parks in Hawaii, there is a fee to enter only 11 of them. Those parks include:

• Akaka Falls State Park (Big Island)
• Diamond Head State Monument (Oahu)
• Haena State Park (Kauai)
• Hapuna Beach State Recreational Area (Big Island)
• Hulihe’e Palace (Big Island)
• ‘Iao Valley State Park (Maui)
• Koke’e State Park (Kauai)
• Makena State Park (Maui)
• Nu’uanu Pali State Wayside (Oahu)
• Queen Emma’s Summer Palace (Oahu)
• Waimea Canyon State Park (Kauai)

Entry fees at most of the above parks are pretty negligible right now, averaging about $5 per private vehicle. These fees apply to visitors only, except for those at Diamond Head, where visitors and residents pay the same fees $1 per person on foot or $5 per non-commercial vehicle.

Fee Increases

Under the new fee schedule, the non-commercial entry fee is doubling to $10, while the Diamond Head on-foot entry fee will increase to $5. Similarly, commercial fees are going up by a little more than double too, with small vans paying $25, medium-sized vans paying $50, and large tour buses carrying 26 or more passengers paying $90.

Entry fees for residents are going away under the new fee schedule.

How Hawaii’s New Fees Stack Up

Some residents believe that the new fees are too high and will chase away tourists. But, the Board of Land and Natural Resources point out that the new fees are in-line with many other states. For example, entry fees in California run about $10 per car, some parks in Nevada charge $10, Colorado State Parks seem to charge around $10, etc. So, it’s not like Hawaii is charging outrageous rates to access these sites.

Plus, we have a serious problem here called deferred maintenance. Often, that means grody comfort stations and pothole laden parking lots. But, it can also mean deteriorating trails in the case of parks like Diamond Head. And, the more people that visit the parks, the more maintenance they need. So, personally, I think the fees are justifiable. If they happen to reduce visits a little, that may not be the worst thing ever either.

More Possible Changes

The Hawaii BLNR hinted at more possible changes beyond the fee hike. Those changes include requiring advance reservations and prepayments to enter certain parks. Why? Because lessons learned after the necessary closure and controlled reopening of Kauai’s Haena State Park.

Requiring prepaid reservations at Haena caused the number of visitors to drop from 2,000 per day to 650. This reduced congestion in the area, allowed residents to enjoy the park once again, and gave the natural resources in the area some much needed relief.

So, which park may see these requirements next? If Senator Kalani English has his way, it’d be Maui’s Waianapanapa State Park in Hana. The only black sand beach on Maui, it’s a popular park among visitors that’s created headaches the residents of the tiny rural community of Hana. Especially since the Hana Highway is always so congested that residents have a difficult time commuting in and out of the area.

Get Ready to Pay More to Visit Hawaii State Parks, Final Thoughts

In recent years, finding balance with Hawaii’s top industry has been a challenge. Tourism, after all, is the lifeblood of our economy. But, the pressures the millions of visitors place on our natural resources is becoming a problem. That has become even more clear during the COVID-19 shutdown as once crowded parks and beaches lay empty, allowing for wildlife to return.

In fact, I’d expect to see even more restrictions in the future, not only at State Parks, but County and Federal ones too. Hanauma Bay, for example, is much healthier and has seen a resurgence of fish in the bay. And, as a result, City officials are looking into place capacity restrictions at the bay.

The National Park Service has already enacted the above types of systems too. As you’ll recall, sunrise and sunset atop Haleakala now require reservations and prepayments. The reason for that, of course, was the crush of visitors was causing significant environmental harm atop the mountain.

So, given all of the reasons to increase prices and enact restrictions, I’m all for these changes and proposals. After all, would you want to visit Hawaii if the things that make it such a beautiful place disappeared? No. So, let’s contribute a little more, and help preserve what we have for future generations.