Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area

Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area offers tent camping (plus a single 8-person cabin) at high elevation on the slopes of Haleakalā, reservable up to 90 days in advance. Activities: Camping, Hiking, Hunting. CLOSED until further notice: the camping area and cabin are unavailable while DLNR's Division of Forestry & Wildlife (DOFAW) repairs the Kula Forest Reserve access road, per DLNR's live Important Park Notices page - an ongoing access-road issue, not a storm closure. Status changing amid Hurricane Lala/Tropical Storm Moke recovery (as of 8/25/26) - check dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/important-park-notices/ before traveling. Hawaii State Park campgrounds are not set up for camping in vehicles (campers, vans, trailers); sleeping in vehicles in campground parking lots is not allowed statewide, and there are no electric/water hookup sites anywhere in the system (dlnr.hawaii.gov, confirmed live). Pets ARE allowed here on a leash, an exception to Hawaii's general statewide no-pets-in-campgrounds rule. This park's own DLNR record lists "Dogs on Leash" as an activity and does not list a pets prohibition. Reservable (permit-based, not a specific numbered site) through Hawaii DLNR Division of State Parks' own reservation system at explore.ehawaii.gov (migrated from the legacy camping.ehawaii.gov system statewide as of February 1, 2026; login required to book).

Standard statewide camping permit fee: Hawaii residents $20/campsite/night, non-residents $30/campsite/night, for up to 10 people (dlnr.hawaii.gov, "*New Fees Effective 10/9/20"). Full payment required at time of reservation (no partial deposits, no mail-in permits); NO REFUNDS if cancelled less than 15 days before check-in; $5/permit cancellation fee on refunds granted (dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/permits-fees/). Maximum stay 5 consecutive nights per park (shorter at some parks, e.g. Nāpali Coast), then a 30-day wait before that permittee may camp overnight in the same park again; one campsite/cabin per permit per park at a time; commercial use prohibited without a special use permit.