IAO Valley Maui

In central Maui is the IAO Valley state park. We really hadn't planned on going to this area of Maui as we didn't

think we would have enough time with everything else we had planned for our Maui vacation. However on the first day we were on vacation is was raining a little and we couldn't do what we had planned so we went driving to see some of the scenery. We ended up going towards Wailuku. After driving around the residential area in hills for awhile, we ended up taking a turn down a road that we had no idea where it lead. Well low an behold we ended up at IAO Valley state park and am very glad that we did get to see this area of Maui. It is very pretty, and was the first waterfall that we saw on Maui. We really didn't do any hiking here because it was raining, but we did have some umbrellas so we were able to get out of our van and take a few pictures of the waterfall from the parking lot. I would recommend at least taking some time to visit IAO Valley.

There are some hiking trails in the park that will allow you to hike out and see things like the IAO needle. The IAO needle raises to a summit of about 2250 feet. On the hikes you can enjoy exotic plants, clear natural pools and the IAO stream.

If you are hiking in the park be sure to bring mosquito repellant and drinking water as there isn't any place to get water in the park. Also be careful around the stream if it is raining as the water can rise quickly and become dangerous.

The park is in the highlands of west Maui forest reserve. When visitors come to the park they spend most of their time hiking the trails, identifying plant life and taking pictures of all the beauty. If you enjoy nature and hiking this is definitely a place to consider visiting while you vacation in Maui.

Check out a few of these other Maui Sites: