The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks is hoping overnight visitors will be responsible while camping and take a positive stance toward stewardship of the area as the agency reopens Polihale State Park to overnight camping after a two-year closure brought on by COVID-19 and park abuse and overuse issues.

What You Need To Know

  • Polihale State Park will reopen for overnight camping from Aug. 14; the reservation system will be available starting Aug. 1

  • DLNR invites the community to provide input, share concerns and visions for the park in a survey available on their website

  • Polihale’s sand dunes contain native Hawaiian burial sites and the park is home to the critically endangered plant species lauehu and ohai

  • When residents see park abuse and misuse, they are asked to play a role in a shared kuleana by contacting the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement immediately at 808-643-3567, or download the DLNR Tip app

Reservations will be available from Aug. 1 and can be made up to 90 days in advance.

Camping without permits, driving on the beach and dunes — both of which are illegal under State Parks Administrative rules — and general careless behavior led to the park’s day-use-only restriction since Dec. 2020.

Aside from the wildlife and natural beauty of the remote stretch of beach, the park also holds cultural significance. The sand dunes, some of which reach up to 100 feet, contain native Hawaiian burial sites and are key habitat for the critically endangered plant species lauehu and ohai.

Though the DSP hopes park users will exercise a sense of kuleana (responsibility) toward the state park and its inhabitants, the agency has taken steps to install additional signs and placed boulders to block unauthorized vehicles from accessing the most sensitive areas of the dunes; the area between Po‘oahonu (Queen’s Pond) and the developed camping areas.

DLNR is also working with PBR Hawaii — the firm involved in the Haena State Park Master Plan and saw it through to implementation. The plan has been deemed a success by Kauai residents and the county as a model for community-based management and a way to mitigate overtourism.

PBR Hawaii will kickstart public outreach and consultation with the goal of planning future management and improvements at Polihale State Park to protect its resources and enhance the user experience. The DLNR invites the community to provide input, share concerns and visions for the park in a survey available on their website.

“We look forward to welcoming overnight campers back to Polihale, in limited numbers as is befitting the place,” said DSP Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter, in a release. “The late summer timing of this reopening is deliberate, as holiday weekends have seen the heaviest use and most damage to Polihale’s fragile resources due to heavy use. By next summer, we intend to have additional protective measures in place, including a pair of new westside park interpretive technicians (rangers) to patrol and educate park visitors.”

With extensive natural and cultural resources within its more than 130 acres of sand dunes and beaches, in addition to its remote location, Polihale is a challenge for enforcing rules. Should abuse and misuse of the park return, camping could be shut down again, according to DSP.

This is where help from residents can play a role in a shared kuleana, according to the DLNR. The agency asks that anyone who witnesses suspicious or illegal activity in a Hawaii state park to contact the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement immediately at 808-643-3567, or download the DLNR Tip app, which allows for real-time reporting along with any images.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii.