Visiting the far north shore of Kauai

Beginning on June 27 and continuing through the end of 2023, the Kuhio Highway will be closed at the Hanalei bridge every Sunday through Thursday night.  The highway will close at 11:00PM and re-open at 5:30am the following morning.

  • If you are arriving to Hanalei Colony Resort on Sunday – Thursday, please take care in scheduling a flight arrival time earlier than 7pm, in order to ensure you have time to get across the bridge before the road closes.
  • If you are departing Hanalei Colony Resort on Monday – Friday, please make sure you do not have a flight departure time earlier than 10am, to ensure you have sufficient time to reach the airport after the bridge re-opens in the morning.
  • Note that bridge construction is not guaranteed to complete within the projected six-month time frame. Delays due to weather are common.  If you are traveling during the first half of 2024, it is possible bridge construction will still be ongoing, and we advise scheduling your flight times accordingly.
  • We’re here to assist if you have any questions. Call us at (833) 465-2824 or email reservations@kauaikahuna.

WANT TO VISIT THE NORTH SHORE PAST HANALEI?

The far north shore past Hanalei includes some of the most beautiful and unspoiled scenery the island has to offer.  Limahuli Botanical Gardens, Haena Beach Park (including snorkeling at Tunnels and surfing at Canons), and Haena State Park (Ke’e Beach, the Kalalau Trail) are some of the favorite visitor destinations on the far north shore.  Following the 2018 flooding, visiting these attractions now requires a little bit of advance planning.

  • LIMAHULI GARDENS:

The National Tropical Botanical Garden at Limahuli is home to numerous native plant species found nowhere else on earth. You have two options if you’d like to visit (and it’s a visit we highly recommend!).  You may make an advance reservation for a tour (either self-guided or expert-guided) at https://ntbg.org/gardens/limahuli and your reservation will include parking at the gardens.  Or you may show up without a reservation as long as you have a North Shore Shuttle ticket to present verifying you have arrived by shuttle.  As of November, 2022 entry to the gardens is $25 for adults, $10 for kama’aina, and free for children 17 and under.

  • HAENA BEACH PARK (TUNNELS/CANNONS):

Parking in the lot at the lifeguarded county park at Haena Beach is free, with no reservation required.  Parking is NOT permitted along the highway, and this includes in the vicinity of Tunnels beach.  If you can’t find a legal spot in the parking area, and you don’t have a parking permit for the state park at the end of the road, you will be out of luck.  There will be many more people wanting to park than there are spaces for parking so a shuttle ticket is the recommended alternative.  Purchase tickets at https://gohaena.com/.

  • HAENA STATE PARK: (Ke’e Beach, Kalalau Trail)

If you want to visit Haena State Park to snorkel at Ke’e or day hike the Kalalau Trail, you’ll need either a parking permit or a shuttle ticket, and an entry ticket (entry tickets are $5/person).  The park is open from sunrise to sunset.  You may purchase a parking permit for the state park for $10 for either morning or afternoon entry.  Parking pass reservations open 30 days in advance, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND PURCHASING YOUR PARKING PASS AS SOON AS RESERVATIONS OPEN AS THEY SELL OUT QUICKLY.  There are more permits than parking spaces so be prepared to wait for a spot when you arrive.

If you are unable to secure a parking permit, or if you’d rather let someone else do the driving, purchase a shuttle ticket (see below).  Don’t park illegally along the highway!  Parking tickets start at $200, and enforcement is frequent.  You can purchase shuttle tickets, parking tickets, and entry tickets at https://gohaena.com/.

  • THE NORTH SHORE SHUTTLE: Please visit https://gohaena.com/ for updates on operations, to purchase tickets, and for information on the shuttle schedule and stops.

The North Shore Shuttle provides service from Princeville and Hanalei to the state park, with stops at various points in between.  Leave your car at the Waipa park-and-ride lot at the north end of Hanalei.  Tickets are available at https://gohaena.com.

  • Cell phone reception at the end of the road is non-existent.  TAKE A SCREENSHOT of your shuttle ticket before you go; don’t count on being able to load it.