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Short answer: Black Pot is open (it is not on Kauai County’s October 8 closure list), and the lots by Hanalei Pier are free. They fill on busy days.
Status, October 15, 2026: Kauai County’s October 8 closure list does not include Black Pot, so the park is open. Past Hanalei, HDOT’s road page (last updated October 9) still lists local access only on Kuhio Highway to Ke‘e Beach after Hurricane Lowell. Ha‘ena State Park reopens October 15, and its shuttle resumes the same day. Check the Hawaii State Parks notices and HDOT road updates before you plan the day.
Black Pot Beach Park, the county park beside Hanalei Pier on Kauai’s North Shore, closed after storm damage this fall and has since reopened. If you’re driving a rental there, here is what Black Pot Beach parking actually looks like, and what to check before you go.
Is Black Pot open right now?
Yes, as of early October 2026. A Kauai closure guide updated October 3 says the county confirmed Black Pot reopened on September 24, along with Hanalei Pavilion and Wai’oli. That is a secondary source, so confirm with Kauai County Parks before you drive out, because North Shore park status has changed quickly since the storm.
The same guide notes that ocean-safety officials were advising against swimming and other ocean activity because of brown-water advisories after heavy rain. That affects the water, not the parking lot.
Black Pot Beach parking: where to park near Hanalei Pier
Parking around Hanalei Bay is listed as free, and Hawaii-Guide.com’s Hanalei Bay guide names three main areas:
- Black Pot Beach Park lot (4997 Weke Rd, per the Google Maps listing): restrooms, outdoor showers, and picnic tables. One local guide also mentions trash and recycling bins and calls it a large lot built after the 2018 flood.
- Near Hanalei Pier: a second parking area on the right side of Highway 560.
- Just past Nualolo Road: a first parking area on the left side of Highway 560 if you’re coming from town.
Wai’oli Beach Park also has a large lot right next to the park, and free street parking is available around Hanalei town if you don’t mind a short walk.
Kauai County’s own parking notices name four lots around the bay: Black Pot near Weke Road, Hanalei Pavilion near Weke Road and Pilikoa Road, and two Wai‘oli (Pine Trees) lots, one near Hee Road and one near Anae Road. The county closes them now and then for repairs, for example on two mornings in January 2025 (The Garden Island), so if one lot is coned off, try the next one along Weke Road. Questions about the lots go to the Department of Parks and Recreation at 808-241-4460.
When the lots fill up
Hawaii-Guide.com says parking fills by mid-morning on weekends and summer days and suggests arriving around 7:30 a.m. Black Pot is also a popular weekend meeting spot for surfers and barbecues, so a Saturday arrival at noon is the worst case.
Don’t drive onto the sand
After the 2018 Hanalei flood eroded the beach, vehicles can no longer park or drive along the beach, and camping at the park is no longer allowed. Use the lots.
Heading farther west?
Black Pot is a stop on the way to the end of the road, not a substitute for it. If you’re continuing to Haena, read the Haena State Park reservations guide first, since parking there needs a reservation booked 30 days ahead. Still deciding on a car at all? See whether you need a rental car on Kauai, and for pickup logistics, the Lihue Airport rental car guide.
Heading farther up the road? Tunnels Beach parking is a different, county-run lot with its own limits.
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Photo: Edoardo Colombo on Pexels.
Researched and written by Neo Pecorro. Facts on this page were checked against Kauai County, plus the other sources linked above. Hawaii rules change often, so confirm on the official page before you go.
Last updated: October 19, 2026.