Hawaii has always been one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Hawaii has many breathtaking places of tropical beauty which are main tourist locations and Iao Valley is one of them, which lies in the northwestern Maui Island. It is situated on the eastern side of the PuuKukui Mountain, just north of Wailuku. It was denoted as s National Natural Landmark in 1972. Aside from its natural tropical beauty, sacred Iao Valley has great historical significance where the battle of KepaniwaiKing Kamehameha clashed with Maui’s army with an intention of uniting the islands.Iao Valley is a deep, narrow gully5 miles (8.05km) long and bounded by heavily forested walls almost a mile high.
The valley consists of a Monument,State Park and a Rainforest. One of the main landmarks it has is the Iao Needle, a volcanic monolith 2,250 feet (ca.686 m) high, soars nearly straight up from the valley floor. A 6-acre section of the valley featuring the Iao Needle is designated a state park and a national natural landmark. There is a path leading from the parking lot to view Iao Needle and the ridge-top lookout provides incredible views of the valley. The Iao Needle is beyond 2000 (0.61 km)feet tall.This iconic green-mantled rock outcropping overlooks Iao stream and is the perfect attraction for sight-seeing and hiking.The area is filled with all kinds of attractive vegetation. Iao Valley State Monument can be named a place of tropical flora in Hawaii.
Kepaniwai Park and Heritage Gardens, located near the valley entrance and Wailuku, represents Hawaii’s various cultures.This unique and beautiful park celebrates various ethnic groups displaying a building for each of them. Some unique buildings can be found here which are a traditional Hawaiian hale (house), a New England–style missionary home, a Filipino farmer’s hut, Japanese gardens and a Chinese pavilion. And it being by Iao Stream, this a perfect picnic spot and a refreshing monument to social harmony.Iao Stream is there to provide wading and swimming pools.
You can also take a walk in the rainforest or explore the exhibits at the Hawaii Nature Center, located within the Iao Valley. Most people stay in West Maui or South Maui as a vacation on the island, so, you’ll likely want to take a rental car, or join a tour group to explore Iao Valley for the day, it is only 30 mins away from the Maui City.
1. Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash