Lush rainforest park known for its towering needle-shaped peak, botanical gardens, and historical significance as a sacred Hawaiian site.
General Information
Last entry at 4:30pm
Non-Residents: $5 per person (children 3 and under free)
Parking: $10 per non-resident vehicle
Reservations required for non-residents
How to Get There
From Kahului, HI (5 mi): Drive west on Kaʻahumanu Avenue, continue onto Main Street into Wailuku, then follow ʻĪao Valley Road to the park entrance at the end of the road.
Overview
Iao Valley (Hawaiian: 'Ī-ao: "cloud supreme") is a lush, stream-cut valley in West Maui, Hawaii, located 3.1 miles (5 km) west of Wailuku. Because of its natural environment and history, it has become a tourist location. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972.
The state park is located on 6.2 acres (2.5 ha) at the end of Iao Valley Road (Highway 32). The Iao Needle (Kūkaemoku), a landmark in the state park, is a vegetation-covered lava remnant rising 1,200 feet (370 m) from the valley floor or 2,250 feet (690 m) above sea level. The "needle" is a sharp ridge that gives the appearance of being a spire when viewed end-on. The needle is an extension of and surrounded by the cliffs of the West Maui Mountains, an extinct volcano. There is a short trail (Iao Needle Lookout Trail and Ethnobotanical Loop) to a windy overlook.
Iao Valley is covered in dense rainforest, most of which consists of introduced vegetation on the valley floor. The Pu'u Kukui summit area at the valley's head receives an average 386 inches (9.8 m) of rainfall per year, making it the state's second wettest location after The Big Bog, slightly wetter than Mount Wai'ale'ale. Much of this rainfall ends up flowing into the Iao Stream. Trails in the State Park run alongside Iao Stream and through the forest.
The Hawaiian god Kāne is considered to be the procreator and the provider of life. He is associated with wai (fresh water) as well as clouds, rain, streams, and springs. Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the underworld, is represented by the phallic stone of the Iao Needle.
Kapawa, the king of Hawai'i prior to Pili, was buried here. Maui's ruler Kaka'e, in the late 15th century, designated Iao Valley as an ali'i burial ground. The remains were buried in secret places. In 1790, the Battle of Kepaniwai took place there, in which Kamehameha the Great defeated Kalanikūpule and the Maui army during his campaign to unify the islands. The battle was said to be so bloody that dead bodies blocked Iao Stream, and the battle site was named Kepaniwai ("the damming of the waters").
Established in 1952, the Heritage Gardens in Kepaniwai Park recognize the multicultural history of Maui. Tributes and structures celebrate the contributions of Hawaiian, American missionary, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, and Filipino cultures. The gardens had become overgrown and were restored in 1994. The Hawaii nature center, just outside the gardens, has a museum and children's education about Hawaii and conservation.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Iao Valley", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
