St. Louis Heights, Round Top parks will close early on NYE

The Department of Land and Natural Resources said it will close the entrance gates to Pu‘u ‘Uala­ka‘a (Round Top) State Wayside and Wa‘a­hila Ridge State Recreation Area (St. Louis Heights) early on New Year’s Eve, at 4 p.m.

"We are closing the park early to discourage use of fireworks, which is prohibited in state parks, and to protect the public and natural resources of the area," DLNR Chairman William J. Aila Jr. said in a news release Friday.

Regular park hours of 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. will resume Tuesday.

The state earlier announced that two Kona Coast parks, Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area and Kekaha Kai State Park, will close early at 5 p.m. Monday.

Affected areas include the Wai­­alea Bay section of Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area and the Manini­­‘owali (Kua Bay) and Mahaiula sections of Kekaha Kai State Park.