Kīpahulu Campground (Hawaii) is reopening its doors on March 16 with a new online booking system that aims to cut down on crowds as well as traffic jams, Haleakalā National Park announced on Tuesday.
As per a report, the new system for reservation is available at recreation.gov, allowing people to determine the availability of sites real-time and get immediate confirmation. The Kīpahulu sites were previously accessible on a first-come-first-served basis, often leading to congestion in the park.
Reservation will be released for stays up to April 16 and on a rolling basis of 30 days following that.
Camping costs $8 per night and includes the possibility of a stay of three nights over any 30 days. Entrance fees must be paid upon entry to the park. Reservations are likely to be filled quickly, and guests are strongly advised to make plans in advance.
To encourage physical distancing between campers during the pandemic, the campground will open nine of the 21 campsites while the group camping sites will remain temporarily closed. When it is safe to do so, the campground will be fully operational.
Recreation.gov is the same site used to manage Hosmer Grove Campground, wilderness campsites in Haleakala Crater at Paliku and Holua, wilderness cabins, and sunrise reservations in the park.
For more information on rules and hours in Kīpahulu, visit nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/kipahulu-campground.htm.
For general information on camping in Haleakalā, visit nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/wilderness-camping.htm.
This story originally appeared on Maui News.