Visit ʻĪao Valley State Monument, Maui, Hawaii

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ʻĪao Valleyis a lush, stream-cut valley in West Maui, Hawaii, located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Wailuku. Because of its natural beauty and historical significance, it has become a popular tourist location. The state park is located on 6.2 acres (2.5 ha) at the end of ʻĪao Valley Road (Highway 32). The ʻĪao Needle (Kūkaemoku) is a famous landmark in the state park, a vegetation-covered lava remnant rising 1,200 feet (370 m) from the valley floor or 2,250 feet (690 m) when measured from sea level. The needle is surrounded by the cliffs of the West Maui Mountains, an extinct volcano. One can take a short trail (ʻĪao Needle Lookout Trail and Ethnobotanical Loop) to a windy overlook. ʻĪao Valley is covered in dense rainforest, most of which consists of introduced vegetation on the valley floor. The Puʻu 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 Mount Waiʻaleʻale. Much of this rainfall ends up flowing into the ʻĪao Stream. Trails in the State Park run alongside ʻĪao Stream and through the forest. Kepaniwai Park's Heritage Gardensmemorializes Maui's multicultural history. Scale models of ethnic buildings and gardens representing the immigration of Hawaiian, American missionary, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, and Filipino cultures are the park's highlight.

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