A 5-mile-long dirt access road to Kaua‘i’s Polihale State Park has reopened after two months, just in time for the start of summer and Memorial Day weekend.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of State Parks spent 300 man-hours clearing the road of mud and debris left by three storms in March and April. The division also resurfaced the road.
Alan Carpenter, the division’s acting administrator, said the Kaua‘i crew prioritized getting the park reopened for the community.
“It was essentially a very dedicated, in-house effort and we did that in the interest of getting it back open to the public, knowing people were ready for the summertime, holiday enjoyment,” he said.
An SUV drives on Polihale State Park’s recently resurfaced access road after a two-month closure. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2026)
The unpaved road has notorious problem spots caused by flooding from clogged plantation-era drainage ditches. Most of the rock material used to repair and resurface it came from the division’s existing stockpile. Generally, the division resurfaces Polihale’s access road once a year, but storms sometimes increase that frequency.
“I think sometimes nature tells us through these events that the places need a rest,” Carpenter said. “And just remember we’re trying to be a little more mindful of people driving on dunes, and we want to change behavior back to considering the environment and the cultural sites as they enjoy themselves down at Polihale.”
Read The Original Fix It! West Kaua‘i Residents Want This Remote Beach Park Reopened.
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Civil Beat’s reporting on Kauaʻi is supported in part by a grant from the G. N. Wilcox Trust.
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