Hawaii national parks offer free entry as part of Great Outdoors celebration

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii’s national parks are seeing a steady rise in visitor numbers, rebounding from pandemic lows.

Admission if free at national parks all across the country on Thursday for the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act. This will add to the improving visitor numbers for 2022 that could beat pre-pandemic numbers.

People have been returning to national parks since lockdowns and mandates were lifted.

That’s great news for the state as well as Hawaii’s national parks, such as the World War II Valor Sites at the Pacific National Monument.

According to the National Park Service, in 2021 there were 1.3 million people who visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, spending around $117 million in the surrounding area.

On Oahu, there were 1.2 million visitors at World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument who spent more around $223 million.

On Maui, approximately 853,000 visitors stopped at Haleakala National Park and spent around $61 million in the area.

”We’re happy to see so many visitors returning to iconic parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, but there are hundreds more that should be on everyone’s bucket list. Whatever experience you’re looking for in 2022, national parks are here to discover,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.

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