Online reservations for out-of-state visitors to enter Diamond Head State Monument went live Thursday.

Prompted by efforts to reduce congestion at the iconic park, also known as Leahi, state officials last week announced that starting May 12, reservations would be required for out-of-state visitors to enter and to hike up its trail to scenic views.

The reservations can be made 14 days in advance at gostateparks.hawaii.gov/ diamondhead, in two-hour slots for those entering by vehicle and in one-hour slots for those entering by foot. The earliest reservations are available at 6 a.m., and the latest at 4 p.m. As of Thursday afternoon 300 slots were reserved, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

DLNR’s Division of State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell described the launch as “so far, so good” during a Thursday afternoon news conference. “But what we’re going to have to find is the sweet spot in two-hour increments of how many walk-ins versus how many drive-ins versus how many are coming in on the trolleys.”

Currently, about half of Diamond Head visitors are walk-ins, he said, oftentimes because the small parking lot in the crater is full, and many walk over from Waikiki.

DLNR’s goal is to limit the number of patrons to the park to 3,000 per day and no more than 300 per hour, said Division of State Parks Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter. The move is part of a state initiative to better manage tourism and its impacts on natural resources and cultural sites.

“We’re trying to also diminish some of the tension between locals and out- of-state visitors,” said Carpenter, “and create a higher-quality experience so that folks can go to their own park in their own backyard when they want to.”

In December, DLNR said, more than 6,000 people visited Diamond Head in one day, mostly in the morning rather than afternoon. One of the goals of the reservation system is to help spread out the number of visitors throughout the day to avoid bottlenecks.

On Dec. 27, 2019, for instance, there were as many as 1,200 visitors to the monument within one hour.

“It was not only unpleasant — frankly, it was dangerous,” said Carpenter. “People crowding in the tunnel who couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. That is not a quality experience, and it’s not the kind of experience we want people to be having in our parks.”

Cottrell said the system will be modified along the way as needed.

“For our entire history as a tourism destination, we’ve been an all-you-can-eat buffet,” he said. “We give away our stuff for super cheap, and people come and just fill up. So now we’re transitioning to a higher-end restaurant where you’ve got to have advanced reservations.”

Diamond Head is the third state park in Hawaii to implement a reservation system, following in the steps of Haena State Park on Kauai and Waianapanapa State Park on Maui.

In 2020, entry fees for Diamond Head increased to $5 per person for walk-ins ($1 previously) and $10 per vehicle for parking ($5 previously). The new system will rely on QR codes that will be scanned by the parking vendor to confirm reservations, eliminating the exchange of cash at the entrance.

A percentage of the fees collected must be spent on Diamond Head, which has a $40 million backlog of deferred maintenance, Cottrell said.

While the reservation slots were filling up fast, at last check at 5 p.m. Friday, there were still spots available for both cars and walk-ins for May 12 and 13.

Diamond Head opens at 6 a.m. daily, with the gate closing at 6 p.m., but the latest a reservation can be made is at 4 p.m, and patrons must enter the park no later than 4:30 p.m.

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WHAT TO KNOW

>> Reservations can be made 14 days in advance at gostateparks.hawaii.gov/diamondhead.

>> There are two-hour slots for those entering by vehicle and one-hour slots for those entering by foot. The first reservation slot available is at 6 a.m., and the last at 4 p.m. Patrons must enter no later than 4:30 p.m. After 6 p.m. those still in the park are considered to be trespassing.

>> Payments must be made online to complete reservations. No cash is accepted.

>> Children ages 3 and younger do not need to pay.

>> Out-of-state visitors over age 3 need to purchase an entry ticket, regardless of whether they plan to hike up the summit trail.

>> Hawaii residents do not need reservations for Diamond Head, and can enter by showing a valid state ID.

>> For more information, visit gostate parks.hawaii.gov/ diamondhead/faq.

Source: DLNR