STAR-BULLETIN
The Pali Lookout, which can be wet and windy, is the state park that receives the most visitors, says OmniTrak.
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Pali Lookout gets most park use
The Pali Lookout, or the Nuuanu Pali State Wayside, is listed as the most utilized state park in the state, according to a report released yesterday by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
5 most frequented state parks in 2007
Number of visits, using random samplings from July to October:
» Nuuanu Pali State Wayside (Pali Lookout), Oahu, 905,300
» Wailua River State Park, Kauai, 888,100
» Haena State Park, Kauai, 708,400
» Diamond Head State Monument, Oahu, 634,300
» Makena State Park, Maui, 525,400
Source: OmniTrak Group Inc.
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The 2007 Hawaii State Parks Survey, conducted by the research firm OmniTrak Group Inc. for the HTA, identified 55 of the most popular state parks, randomly visiting the parks at different times of the day between July and October last year, making observations and counts as well as distributing 7,700 written surveys.
The 98-page report, available on the HTA Web site, www.hawaiitourismauthority
.org, also identifies four of Kauai's state parks in the top 10 most visited.
In all there were 10.1 million visits to state parks in 2007, according to the survey. That is up 10 percent from 2003, when the last report was conducted.
Also up was overall satisfaction statewide, as well as satisfaction with overall
maintenance, the report indicated. However, satisfaction with Maui's state parks dipped 2 percent.
Out-of-state visitors made up two-thirds of the visitors to state parks last year, with the vast majority, 86 percent, being visitors from North America. Japanese visitors made up 5 percent of those who used the parks, while 9 percent were from elsewhere.
Kauai's Wailua State Park was the most popular with visitors, while Sand Island State Recreational Area was the most popular with residents of the state.
The Garden Isle's Polihale State Park was surveyed as the least popular park with Hawaii residents. While no residents were reported entering the park, 169,700 tourists were tracked going to the west-side attraction. But tourists are not supposed to be going there: Because the remote park is accessible only by a 5-mile-long cane haul road, car rental companies specifically forbid rental cars from entering the area, and tour buses do not make the trip.