The Kalalau Trail in the Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park will reopen to visitors on October 1, 2024. The trail was closed due to a norovirus outbreak among park visitors.
During the closure, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of State Parks (DSP), in consultation with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH), conducted thorough disinfection and cleaning. Barrels of effluent were removed and airlifted for treatment and disposal from the Hanakāpī’ai, Hanakoa, and Kalalau composting comfort stations. Maintenance activities included two passes at both Hanakāpī’ai and Kalalau by a crew of three, while a six-person crew spent a day performing maintenance at Hanakoa. Additional tasks included painting and vegetation removal as needed.
Substantial preventive measures have been taken during the closure, including repeated disinfection of comfort stations and allowing natural processes like rain, UV light, and virus degradation to diminish any remaining virus. These efforts give DOH and DLNR confidence that reopening the park is now appropriate.
Visitors are advised to take precautions such as careful hand-washing with soap and water (using biodegradable soap), treating water before drinking it, and avoiding visiting the park while ill. Visitors should notify DOH if they develop symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea during or within 72 hours of their visit to the park. If symptoms are severe, medical attention should be sought.
Approximately 50 cases of norovirus have been reported to date, with no new cases reported after September 4. While public health risks have subsided, DOH will continue to investigate case reports and conduct surveillance for norovirus-like symptoms in emergency room and urgent care visits. Cases should be reported by park visitors or healthcare providers.
The initial source of the outbreak is believed to be a park visitor who was already infected with norovirus. A DOH survey from July 1 to September 4 helped identify many reported cases. Initial analysis suggests person-to-person spread and contact with contaminated comfort stations as primary means of infection.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) testing did not show any norovirus in water, sand, or sediment from Kalalau Valley but revealed fecal contamination inside a cave. Due to this contamination, the cave will remain closed through winter when it naturally becomes inaccessible. Visitors are reminded that urinating or defecating outside designated toilet facilities is against the law.
Norovirus causes vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea often accompanied by fever, spreading easily from person to person through minimal contact with infected particles.
For further information on Norovirus:
- Norovirus | Disease Outbreak Control Division (hawaii.gov)
- Preventing Norovirus When Camping, Hiking, or Outdoors | Norovirus | CDC