Kalaupapa National Park, Kalaupapa, Hawaii. County/parish: Kalawao.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places January 07, 1976. NRIS 76002145.
10 contributing buildings. 1 contributing site. 1 contributing structure.Also known as:
Kalaupapa National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in Kalaupapa, Hawaiʻi, on the island of Molokaʻi. Nearly coterminous with the boundaries of Kalawao County, and primarily on Kalaupapa peninsula, it was established by Congress in 1980 to expand upon the earlier National Historic Landmark site of the Kalaupapa Leper Settlement. It is administered by the National Park Service. Its goal is to preserve the cultural and physical settings of the two leper colonies on the island of Molokaʻi, which operated from 1866 to 1969 and had a total of 8500 residents over the decades.
The only way for the general public to visit the settlement is by booking a guided tour. Tours were suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed in September 2025 after the selection of a new tour operator. Current tours include a round-trip flight from Honolulu, and require a reservation. The Kalaupapa Trail also provides access to the settlement, but it currently cannot be used by the general public due to trailhead access issues. The Peninsula Overlook, situated high above the settlement within Palaʻau State Park, is currently the only other publicly accessible part of the park
More than 7300 people live on the remainder of the island, which was a site of cattle ranching and pineapple production for decades. Much of these lands were purchased and controlled by the owners and developers of Molokai Ranch. This part of the island is also a tourist destination.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63815562