Since March 5, visitors stopping to enjoy the scenic vistas and brisk winds at Oahu's Nuuanu Pali State Wayside have been paying $3 to park their cars.
The new fee, charged to both visitors and commercial vehicles using the Pali lookout parking lot, was approved in December 2009 as part of the Hawaii Department of Land and National Resources' "Recreational Renaissance" plan.
"At a time when the budget for Hawaii's state parks has been severely reduced, the DLNR has had to find ways to make up for lost funding to keep the parks open," Dan Quinn, Hawaii's State Parks administrator, said in a statement. "Under the Recreational Renaissance Plan B, we're striving to eventually provide better repair and maintenance to care for these special places. User fees allow park users to help support repairs and maintenance at these important recreational areas."
More than 900,000 visitors stop by the Nuuanu Pali State Wayside annually, according to a 2007 Hawaii Tourism Authority study.
The Pali lookout parking fee is the first step in the Division of State Parks' plans to eventually "charge only visitors and commercial vehicles a fee at a limited number of state parks on each island, and allow resident parking to remain free of charge."
