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Many Hawaii parks and hiking trails to close in advance of Hurricane Lane

Numerous parks, including popular tourist attractions, will be closed in advance of Hurricane Lane, according to state officials.

Waianapanapa State Park along the Hana Highway on Maui will be closed starting at 10 a.m. today due to the possibility of landslides. Nuuanu Pali State Wayside Park, where the Pali Lookout is located, will be closed today beginning at 3 p.m. until further notice to allow removal of previous landslide debris.

At noon today, all Division of Forestry and Wildlife lands on the Big Island and Maui, including forest reserves, natural area reserves, game management areas, wildlife sanctuaries, public hunting areas and Na Ala Hele hiking trails close at noon today.

On Wednesday night, night camping and lodging in state parks across the state, except Kauai, will be canceled, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said. Statewide park closures, except for Kauai, go into effect Thursday morning. On Kauai, Haena State Park and Napali Coast State Wilderness Park remain closed due to flooding in April.

Additional park closures may be implemented on Oahu and Kauai, DLNR said, pending further information on the storm track.

DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said, “Our primary concern is public health and safety,” said DLNR chair Suzanne Case in a news release. “While we realize closures and cancellations may be an inconvenience this is a powerful storm that could have dramatic and damaging impacts across the state. We want to be prepared to safeguard people’s safety using state resources as well as to protect those resources as much as possible in advance of Hurricane Lane.”

Federal parks are also closed in advance of Hurricane Lane.

The Kahuku Unit, the only portion of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remained opening following the Kilauea eruption, will be closed today and Thursday. All previously scheduled programs are canceled as park staff are busy preparing for the storm.

The Summit and Kipahulu districts of Haleakala National Park will also close at 4 p.m. today in anticipation of heavy winds and rain. The entrance gates will be locked, according to the National Park Service, and the park will not be open for sunrise viewing on Thursday or Friday mornings.

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