Hawaii national parks you need to see are on Maui and the Big Island! 🌋 LIST national park sites in Hawaii (historical parks, memorials!) 🌴 Are they on Maui, Big Island, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai?

ALOHA!

 

While there are many different types of national parks in Hawaii, there are only 2 national parks in Hawaii that are “national park” only status.

There are many more other types of national parks in Hawaii, including national historical parks and a national memorial.

 

One of the many great reasons to go to Hawaii is to visit its incredible national parks!

Yes, there are national parks in Hawaii!

The national parks in Hawaii will show you the natural beauty and diversity of the Hawaiian islands.

Hawaii’s national parks include a range of ecosystems, from tropical rainforests to volcanic landscapes that come with incredible views and are some of the best things to do in Hawaii!

 

 

Here’s what’s below!

First, a bit about the 2 best national parks in Hawaii. (Okay, they are the only 2 national parks in Hawaii!)

Then, a list with the various types of national park sites in Hawaii.

Following that, for easy reference there will be the quick lists of national park sites by island. (The main Hawaiian islands are Maui, Big Island, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai.)

And then there will be brief descriptions on each of the national park sites in Hawaii.

After that, a bit about the cost to go to Hawaii national park sites.

 

 

National parks in the U.S.

United States flag and Hawaii state flag

 

As of the beginning of 2023, there are a total of 63 national parks in the United States operated by the National Park Service (NPS).

 

 

In addition to the 63 U.S. national parks, there are many more national historical parks, national historic sites, national memorials, national preserves, national lakeshores, and more nationally designated sites also operated by the National Park Service. 

For reference, here is the list of ALL national park sites in the United States. This includes the National Park Service’s “related areas” as well.

 

 

So…

How many national parks are in Hawaii?

There are 2 official national parks in Hawaii.

 

What are the national parks in Hawaii?

The national parks in Hawaii that you need to see are on the Hawaiian islands of Maui and the Big Island.

The 2 national parks in Hawaii are Haleakala National Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

There is one national park on Maui, and that is Haleakala National Park.

There is one national park on the Big Island, and that is is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

 

👆 There is a national park in Hawaii on the island of Maui. Explore the map.

 

👆 There is a national park in Hawaii on the Big Island. Explore the map.

 

 

Which Hawaii national park should you visit?

No matter which Hawaii national park you visit, it will be a visit to a volcano!

You should visit the Hawaii national park on the Big Island if you want to see vast lava fields with a chance to see active lava.

You should visit the Hawaii national park on Maui if you want to see vast desert volcanic landscape!

 

 

What’s great about Maui’s Haleakala National Park?

 

There are 2 sides to Haleakala national park: the summit side and the coastal side.

On the summit side, a visit to the Haleakala volcano is one of the must-do activities on Maui. You can drive all the way up to the Haleakala summit, which will take you to high altitude at 10,000+ ft.

 

 

The big thing to do here is to see the Haleakala sunrise at the summit, with this being one of the popular activities on Maui. Due to the popularity of this, a permit is required for entry into the park between 3am and 7am. 

If you are not so much up for waking up super early, it can be a worthy activity to visit the park during the day and visit the summit at that time.

 

 

Besides visiting the Haleakala summit, the other worthy activity to do on this side of Maui’s national park is the Haleakala crater hike where you’re hiking into the crater that has the famous desert landscape views.

 

 

 

 

There’s also a “backside” of Haleakala, and that’s the coastal side of Haleakala, called the Kipahulu district. 

 

 

The summit side and coastal side aren’t connected by road through the national park. You get to the coastal side by driving the famous Hana Highway, which is not a part of the national park but is a worthy activity all on its own. 

 

 

 

 

The popular activities on the coastal side of the national park include a hike through Maui’s famous bamboo forest.

 

 

There are also waterfalls to see on this side of the national park.

 

 

There are free campgrounds on both sides of the national park that you can access by car, the Hosmer Grove campground on the summit side and the Kipahulu campground on the coastal side.

 

 

On the summit side, there are also backcountry cabins available for a fee that require hiking to get to, and reservations for these tend to go quickly. There’s also backcountry camping that you can do too.

 

Haleakala National Park: See more about planning a trip to this Hawaii national park

• Things to do in Haleakala National Park
• Sliding Sands Trail (THE Haleakala NP crater hike to do)
• Camping on the summit side
• Camping on the coastal side
• Official NPS Haleakala National Park website:
  • Summit area
  • Coastal area
• Tips for planning your trip to Maui

 

 

What’s great about the Big Island’s Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?

 

What has been the super popular thing to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is to go for a chance to see active molten lava flowing (aka the red stuff).

The Big Island is known as THE island to visit in Hawaii if you want a chance to see active lava flowing. It’s not always guaranteed, though. 

There was a volcano on the Big Island that continually was producing lava that could be seen for something like 30 years. But in 2018, that stopped. That meant no chance to see active lava. 

 

 

It stopped for over 2 years.

But then, in December 2020, active lava started flowing again.

See the video below that was posted to twitter by the US Geological Survey.

 

Video from W rim of the caldera just before midnight. As of December 21 at 1:30 a.m. HST, the growing lava lake has almost reached the level of the lowest down-dropped block that formed during the 2018 collapse events. Over the past 2 hours, the lake has risen by ~10 m (32 ft). pic.twitter.com/Qbx1d6hbq4

— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) December 21, 2020

 

 

So, will you be able to see active lava during your Hawaii national park trip in 2021?! There’s no certain way to know! You can check for the updates here.

Even if you can’t see the lava actively flowing, if you’ve never been to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, it can still be worth it to visit this national park even though there’s no lava!

What you can see in the national park no matter what is the aftermath of all the lava that has flowed through over the years.

So you can still visit the park to see the result of all that active lava that flowed in the past by seeing the lava fields all around. There’s a road through the park that will allow you to drive past it, and you can also get out and walk across the hardened lava too. There’s old lava flows all over spanning to the coast.

 

 

There are 2 main roads in the park.

There’s Crater Rim Drive where you can see sulfur banks, steam vents, and a “trail of devastation.”

And then driving the Chain of Craters Road will take you to the coast.

 

 

It’s possible to see Hawaiian petroglyphs and it’s also possible to see where old lava flows stopped right on the road.

 

 

Another one of the top spots in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a hike into a crater that used to be a lava lake.

 

 

And if you’re interested in volcanoes, there are other things to do on the Big Island outside of the national park to see remnants of past volcanic activity.

There are parts of the island where you can see vast lava fields aka great places to see old lava flows in Hawaii.

There are also many black sand beaches to see that get its black color as a result of volcanic activity. (Old lava flows eroded away and turned into black sand.)

You can also hike across lava fields, and you can also do a cave hike through a lava tube.

 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: See more about planning a trip to this Hawaii national park

• Things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Kilauea Iki Trail (THE Hawaii Volcanoes NP crater hike to do)
• Crater Rim Drive
• Chain of Craters Road
• Official NPS Hawaii Volcanoes National Park website
• Tips for planning your trip to the Big Island

 

 

Is it worth visiting the national parks in Hawaii?!

YES!! Well, I think so anyway. 😉

 

 

So that’s a bit about the 2 national parks in Hawaii!

Now…

Here is the list of US national park designated sites in Hawaii

 

This is based on the official NPS list of parks, and it includes national parks, national historical parks, national historical sites, a national memorial, and a national historic trail. It does not include National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii, which is a separate list.

 

In short:

• Officially, there are 8 National Park Service units in Hawaii
• Including both the NPS units and NPS related areas, there are 9 national park designated sites in Hawaii on the Hawaiian islands of Maui, Big Island, Oahu, and Molokai
• There are no national parks on the Hawaiian islands of Kauai or Lanai
• There are 2 national parks in Hawaii, and they are on Maui and the Big Island
• There is 1 national memorial in Hawaii, and that is on Oahu
• There are 3 national historical parks in Hawaii, and they are on the Big Island (2) and Molokai (1)
• There are 2 national historic sites in Hawaii, and they are on the Big Island and Oahu
• There is 1 national historic trail in Hawaii, and that is on the Big Island

 

 

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Now…

The list of 9 national park sites in Hawaii

The quoted national park site descriptions below are as described by the National Park Service.

 

 

National parks in Hawaii

 

 

1. The only official national park on Maui is Haleakala National Park

No place can prepare you for the experiences and feelings you will have on the summit of Haleakala volcano.

The landscape – deeply sculpted, richly colored, and intensely evocative – will be unlike any landscape you have known.

Read the reviews of this national park on Maui.

Haleakala National Park: See tips for planning a trip to Maui and this Hawaii national park

 

 

2. The only official national park on the Big Island is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park protects some of the most unique geological, biological, and cultural landscapes in the world.

Extending from sea level to 13,677 feet, the park encompasses the summits of two of the world’s most active volcanoes – Kilauea and Mauna Loa.

Read the reviews of this national park on the Big island.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: See tips for planning a trip to the Big Island and this Hawaii national park

 

 

National memorial in Hawaii

 

 

3. The only national memorial in Hawaii is Pearl Harbor National Memorial on Oahu

At the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, learn about one of the most pivotal moments in US history: the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the subsequent entry of the United States into World War II.

Read the reviews of this national memorial on Oahu.

 

If you are not staying on Oahu during your Hawaii vacation but really want to visit Pearl Harbor, it can be reasonable to do a day trip from another Hawaiian island to visit Pearl Harbor.

Also, if you are interested in the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, you may also be interested in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. This is not a national park site but it is also located on Oahu.

 

Pearl Harbor National Memorial: See tips for planning a trip to Oahu and this Hawaii national memorial

• Things to do at Pearl Harbor
• Tree of Life inside the memorial
• Official NPS Pearl Harbor national memorial website
• Tips for planning your trip to Oahu

 

 

National historical parks in Hawaii

 

 

4. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island

Imagine you had just broken the sacred laws, the kapu, and the only punishment was death.

Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Pu’uhonua, a place of refuge.

The Pu’uhonua protected the kapu breaker, defeated warriors, as well as civilians during the time of battle.

No physical harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the Pu’uhonua.

Read the reviews for this national historical park on the Big Island.

 

 

5. Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park on the Big Island

To survive in a hot and arid environment the native Hawaiians (kanaka maoli) used ancient fishing skills, including the building of fishponds, and the knowledge of the location of precious fresh water (wai) that flows into the many brackish pools throughout the park.

The spirit of the people (poe) and the knowledge of the elders (kupuna) created a tradition of respect and reverence for this area.

Read the reviews for this national historical park on the Big Island.

 

 

6. Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Molokai

When Hansen’s disease (leprosy) was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha V banished all afflicted to the isolated Kalaupapa peninsula on the north shore of Molokai.

Since 1866, more than 8,000 people, mostly Hawaiians, have died at Kalaupapa.

Once a prison, Kalaupapa is now refuge for the few remaining residents who are now cured, but were forced to live their lives in isolation.

Read the reviews for this national historical park on Molokai.

 

 

National historic sites in Hawaii

 

 

7. Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site on the Big Island

How many places in America can you walk in the footsteps of a king?

Where else has a stranded sailor risen up to become a great chief over an entire island?

Where else can you experience the culminating event of a people, foretold from centuries past?

Where else can you stand on a beach and watch as sharks pass over a submerged temple?

Experience all this and much more – only at Pu’ukohola Heiau!

A heiau is a place of worship for Hawaiians, often referred to as an ancient Hawaiian temple.

Read the reviews of this national historic site on the Big Island.

 

 

8. Honouliuli National Historic Site on Oahu

Although not yet open to the public, Honouliuli National Historic Site will tell the history of internment, martial law, and the experience of prisoners of war in Hawaii during World War II.

 

 

National trail in Hawaii

 

9. Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on the Big Island

Established for the preservation, protection and interpretation of traditional Native Hawaiian culture and natural resources, Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is a 175 mile corridor and trail network of cultural and historical significance.

It traverses through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites and over 200 ahupua’a (traditional land divisions).

Technically, this is considered a “related area” of the National Park Service. Related areas are said to be “linked in importance and purpose to places managed directly by the National Park Service by preserving important segments of the nation’s natural and cultural heritage.”

Read the reviews for one portion of this national historic trail on the Big Island.

 

 

Cost of Hawaii national park sites

 

There are 3 national park sites that require a national park entry fee:

• Haleakala National Park (Maui)
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Big Island)
• Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (Big Island)

The entry fee is around $30 each. The Haleakala pass lasts for 3 days and the Hawaii Volcanoes pass lasts for 7 days.

You can also get a Hawaii national park pass which will allow you unlimited entry to all Hawaii national parks for a year. You can buy this when you visit your first national park in Hawaii.

 

 

If you have an America the Beautiful annual national park pass, this will get you unlimited entry to the vast majority of national park sites in the United States, and that includes these Hawaii parks!

 

In order to go to Kalaupapa National Historical Park (Molokai), a permit is required. You can get this permit by booking a National Park Service approved tour that starts at around $150.

 

Aside from these parks, the cost to enter other national park sites is FREE. 

While entry is free to the park grounds, there may be museums or tours you want to pay for at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial (Oahu) though. 

 

 

And that’s a bit about the national park sites in Hawaii!

 

 

Plan your Hawaii outdoor vacation!

• Things to do in Haleakala National Park (Maui)
• Things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Big Island)
• Things to do at Pearl Harbor (Oahu)
• Maui’s best national park hike
• More of Maui’s best hikes
• The Big Island’s best national park hike
• Maui’s best national park campground
• More of Maui’s best campgrounds

 

HAPPY PLANNING A VISIT TO A NATIONAL PARK IN HAWAII!