King Kamehameha I ferociously fought with Maui's army in 1790 in the emerald Iao Valley forest in his quest to unite the Hawaiian islands. Not only was the battle bloody, but it was also extremely strategic. The king won this war changing the course of Hawaiian history forever.
Iao Valley is considered sacred ground and is protected by the state of Hawaii. It is approximately 4,000 acres and consists of fairly easy hiking.
During the war, King Kamehameha I placed lookout points across the Iao Valley and at the peak of the 1,200 ft Iao Needle, which aided the king's army in alerting them to the position of Maui's army.
This climb was a great feat on its own considering the tools available to people during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
While many of Hawaii's mountains aren't exceptionally tall, they tend to be very steep, resembling cliffs rather than the mountains we are used to seeing in North America.
The Iao valley is home to streams and easy paved walking paths. There are a lot of stairs though, so keep that in mind before visiting this park. The park itself isn't extremely exciting, but it's a nice place to take a stroll and enjoy for less than an hour unless you want to go swimming in the streams or tan on the large boulders resting in the stream at various points.
Visited January 4, 2016.
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| Iao Needle |
During the war, King Kamehameha I placed lookout points across the Iao Valley and at the peak of the 1,200 ft Iao Needle, which aided the king's army in alerting them to the position of Maui's army.
This climb was a great feat on its own considering the tools available to people during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
While many of Hawaii's mountains aren't exceptionally tall, they tend to be very steep, resembling cliffs rather than the mountains we are used to seeing in North America.
The Iao valley is home to streams and easy paved walking paths. There are a lot of stairs though, so keep that in mind before visiting this park. The park itself isn't extremely exciting, but it's a nice place to take a stroll and enjoy for less than an hour unless you want to go swimming in the streams or tan on the large boulders resting in the stream at various points.
Visited January 4, 2016.
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