The Big Island's Waipio Valley closed to visitors indefinitely: Travel Weekly

Waipio Valley, a popular Big Island visitor destination, is off-limits indefinitely to anyone but valley residents, farmers and property owners. Hawaii County Mayor, Mitchell Roth, closed Waipio Valley Road in February in an emergency rule due to hazardous conditions on the steep road. Though the road is only about 1.5 miles long, it has a 45% grade at some points.

“Waipio Valley Road is in imminent threat of slope and roadway failure threatening the health, safety and welfare of the people,” the rule stated. Any sort of tourism activities, including hiking, horseback riding and camping, as well as volunteer stewardship programs are prohibited.

“This is not something that we wanted to do, it’s something that we had to do,” said Roth in a community meeting last month. “This is purely about safety.”

The decision was based on a geotechnical assessment, which recommended the immediate need to mitigate the threat of rockfalls and slope instability.

“The plan is to get this road fixed as quickly as possible so people can get down to the valley in a safe manner,” said Roth. It will take about a year to 18 months of planning and permitting before roadwork begins.

Though hiking to the black-sand beach is no longer allowed, visitors are still able to view the Waipio Valley from a lookout.

Source: Read Full Article