Iao Valley

The Ī'ao Valley is a lush, stream cut valley in West Maui, Hawaiian Islands located near Wailuku. Ī'ao means "cloud supreme". It is the home of Kepaniwai County Park and the Iao Valley State Park. Because of its beauty it has become one of Hawaii's more popular locations to visit. The Ī'ao Needle is a famous landmark in the valley. It is a lava remnant rising 1200 feet (365 m) into the air (2250 ft or 685 m measured from sea level), covered with vegetation.

Ī'ao Valley and the surrounding West Maui Mountain get a remarkable amount of rain — some peaks receive more than 400 inches (more than 1000 cm) per year — which flows into the Ī'ao Stream. Trails in the State Park run alongside Ī'ao Stream and through the forest, making it a nice place for a short hike, if you don't mind the potential for getting rained on.

Ī'ao Valley was the site of the Battle of Kepaniwai, which occurred in 1790. It was the battle in which Kamehameha the Great conquered Maui.