Three named storms passed Hawaiʻi Island between mid-August and early October. The storm reports point mostly to the island's southeast side, and the North Kona shoreline barely appears in them. The one North Kona place where the season changed how you use the land is the shaded grove at the south end of Kīholo Bay, where the weekend campsites sit.
As of the Division of State Parks notice dated October 19, 2026, every Hawaiʻi Island state park has reopened except a few named holdouts. Kīholo State Park Reserve is open for day use, and its campground is still closed. For the time being, Kīholo works on a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. clock, the same hours it always posts. Until the campground reopens, no one can stay overnight on any day of the week.
The season that mostly skipped North Kona
Each storm took a different path, and each one hit the island's southeast side harder than the Kona coast.
| Storm | When it reached Hawaiʻi Island | Where the documented impacts landed |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Lala | August 15, 2026 | The eye passed the southern tip without making landfall. Power went out for more than 60,000 customers from Kohala to Nāʻālehu, and gusts reached 70 mph in Kohala |
| Hurricane Lowell | September 5 to 10, 2026 | It passed west of the islands, and the moisture trailing behind it as it moved away brought flooding to Hawaiʻi Island |
| Hurricane Nolo | September 25 to October 3, 2026 | It stalled south of the island, bringing localized flooding and road closures on the southeast slopes, including Māmalahoa Highway between Nāʻālehu and Pāhala, and wind closures on Kohala Mountain Road |
Civil Beat's August 15 coverage of Lala reported that some people in North Kona saw only modest effects. Mayor Kimo Alameda warned them at the time that it would not stay that way. For North Kona's shoreline, the National Weather Service's Nolo impact report points to other parts of the island and names no Kona beach or facility.
Closer to home, the reopenings came quickly. Hawaiʻi County closed all of its parks during Nolo and scheduled every one of them to reopen on Sunday, September 27. At Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, the National Park Service lists the visitor center parking, every hiking trail and the shoreline as open every day. Kekaha Kai is not on the state's list of exceptions. Its most recent closure was the planned one-day shutdown for Ironman on October 10.
That leaves Kīholo as the North Kona site still carrying a storm-season closure.
What the state actually said about Kīholo
The Department of Land and Natural Resources first listed the closure in its September 30 post-Nolo reopening release:
Kīholo Campground: Closed due to fallen trees. The park remains open for daytime use only.
The same release says the fallen trees that closed the Waialea section of Hāpuna and Lapakahi State Historical Park came from Hurricane Lala. It names no storm for Kīholo's trees. Waialea has since reopened. The state set its return for Saturday, October 17. That leaves three fallen-tree closures on the island's list: Kīholo's campground, Lapakahi, and part of the trail at ʻAkaka Falls State Park. The department said its restoration work would go on "in the months ahead." It gave no Kīholo date.
The location explains why trees are the problem at Kīholo. The state's park page puts the campsites along an unimproved gravel road "in a shaded kiawe (mesquite) grove fronting an ʻiliʻili (pebble) beach." The rest of the reserve is described as "a stark, lava-covered coastal park" with sparse vegetation and open space. At Kīholo, the shade that makes a weekend of camping possible is also the part that can fall down.
Camping was always the narrow slice
Before the storms, camping at Kīholo was already limited. It is allowed by permit on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights only, at $20 per night per site for residents and $30 for nonresidents, with reservations opening up to 30 days in advance through Explore Outdoor Hawaiʻi. The campground has no water, and portable toilets are the only facilities. Campers get an overnight parking permit with their reservation. Without one, a car left in the lot after hours can be cited or towed.
Day use has always been the larger part of the park, and none of it closed. Kīholo charges no entrance fee and opens daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The state's note on locked gates matters more while camping is closed: "When entrance gates are locked for the night, vehicles will not be able to enter or leave the park." If you run late at the lagoon, your car could be locked in until morning.
A Kīholo day that fits the current rules
Hui Aloha Kīholo, the curator group that co-manages the reserve with the Division of State Parks, publishes the most practical access guidance. Its route runs south to north:
- Drive the gravel road to the south-end lot. The Hui describes the road as 2-wheel-drive accessible. It does not recommend parking on the highway and walking in, a walk it puts at 20 to 30 minutes.
- Start at Waiaʻelepī. The two anchialine pools at the south end of the bay carry the name Waiaʻelepī, which the Hui says may be read as "waters of the ʻelepī (crab)." Next to them are the rock walls of cattle pens that Waimea and North Kona ranching families built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Cattle drives ended at Kīholo, and the animals were swum out to waiting ships.
- Walk north along the coast to the lagoon. The Hui estimates about 30 minutes. The route passes private property and homes.
- Carry everything you will need. The lagoon has no restrooms and no trash receptacles. The trash cans are near the parking lots, and the reserve has no potable water or showers.
- Be back at the car with time to spare before 7 p.m. The gates stay locked from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Keanalele is a water source
Keanalele is the most visited spot at Kīholo, and it is also the most often misnamed. The Hui describes it as a cave opening in pāhoehoe that reaches Kīholo's underground aquifer, where fresh water moves from mauka to makai. It says calling it "Queen's Bath" is incorrect. Families who lived at Kīholo seasonally depended on it for drinking water: "No one entered Keanalele, or swam in it. Rather, when water was needed, a bucket or other container was used to scoop water out."
The Hui says sunscreen, bug spray, soap and shampoo degrade the water today. It adds that the same water flows into the nearshore estuary, where many young fish grow up. Its guidance for all of Kīholo's freshwater pools is the same. Entering them is respectfully discouraged, and anyone who needs a rinse can lower a bucket and use the water beside the pool.
The small pools need the same care. Kīholo's wai ʻōpae, or anchialine pools, are home to ʻōpae ʻula, the tiny endemic red shrimp that graze algae and keep the pools clear. Because many of these pools connect underground, a fish released in one can reach others. At Waiaʻelepī, introduced fish have already changed one pond enough that ʻōpae ʻula no longer live there. Every year, schools and community groups clear overgrowth and net out invasive fish, removing what the Hui describes as tens of thousands in a single effort.
The rules that apply all day
The Hui's posted state park rules apply whether or not the campground is open.
- Dogs and other animals are not allowed, except properly identified service dogs on a leash. The Hui explains that dogs can disturb migratory birds that live at Kīholo.
- Alcohol, fireworks and firearms are prohibited.
- Fires are allowed only in designated fireplaces and grills. Cutting trees for firewood is not allowed.
- Wildlife, plants, and geological, historical and archaeological features are to be left undisturbed.
The bay has its own fishing rules. The state's Kīholo Bay Fisheries Management Area covers the water between Nāwaikūlua Point and Hou Point, including Wainānāliʻi Pond but not Luahinewai Pond. Inside that area, possessing gill nets and feeding fish are prohibited. This is a summary for planning a visit, not legal advice. Before you fish, confirm the current rules with the Division of Aquatic Resources.
The house at the north end is not part of the day route. According to the Hui, the former Loretta Lynn house has been restored as Hale Hoa ʻĀina, a field office and meeting base for the group's education, management and stewardship work.
Watching for the campground to reopen
The campground's status changes on the state's notice board, so the DLNR Important Park Notices page is the one to bookmark. The October 19 update is the most recent. It lists Kīholo camping as closed and Kīholo day use as open. According to that notice, people whose state park reservations fell on storm-closure dates receive automatic refunds, less nonrefundable service charges. Once the grove is cleared and the reservation window reopens, booking will work the way it did before. Weekend nights only, up to 30 days ahead, on Explore Outdoor Hawaiʻi.
A season of wind and falling kiawe also raises questions about trees and rooflines at home. At Hawai'i Estates, our construction background means we look at those details with you, not just at the listing photos. When you want a clear picture of where your North Kona home stands after this storm season, start with our Instant Home Valuation.
