If you’re looking for “Jurassic Park vibes” on Maui (you know…those green, jagged mountains set in a jungle so lush and prehistoric that it seems like it could be home to a spare dino or two?), you’re going to want to visit the Iao Valley.

Iao Valley on Maui

In terms of actual history, Iao Valley State Park is the site where King Kamehameha I defeated Maui’s army and united the Hawaiian Islands.

The spot has a lot of cultural significance, and it’s also the most accessible way to see the West Maui Mountains up close.

To visit Iao Valley State Park, you must make reservations in advance here.

Reservations are offered for 90 minute time slots beginning at 7AM and ending at 6PM. They ask that you arrive within the first 30 minutes of your time slot.

Entry is $5/person plus $10/vehicle to park.

In my personal experience, reservations are usually available last minute (at least a day or two before), but if you’re visiting during peak season or on a holiday, you’ll probably need to plan a bit more in advance.

Once you arrive, you’ll park right in the valley and you’ll only need to do some light hiking (a stroll really) to see the best views.

There’s a 0.6 mile paved walkway that leads to an overlook of the Iao Needle.

There’s also a small botanical garden where you can learn about the plants brought to the valley by the Hawaiians who first settled there.

I don’t think it’s a place where you’ll spend more than an hour tops (given that a lot of people don’t think the parking and entry fee is worth it), but if you have kids, older people, or you’re just not up for serious hiking, it’s one of the most accessible, scenic places on Maui.

While you’re in the area, stop for breakfast/lunch/coffee and some shopping in historic Wailuku town. I especially love Momoda Bakery in Kahului.

Maui Tropical Plantation isn’t far and their gift shop is one of the best on the island.

And if you’re a serious hiker, nearby Waihe’e Ridge Trail is a must.

P.S. One of the reasons I’m able to travel to Hawaii so often is because I get free flights with my Southwest credit card AND I can fly someone with me for free with my Companion Pass.

I have this Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards Visa card through Chase. The current sign up offer is 50,000 points. Depending on where you live and fly from, that’s at least one completely FREE ticket to Hawaii and it could be two depending on the time of year (or more if you catch a crazy sale).

But the real pro travel hack is getting the Southwest Companion Pass.

If you acquire a certain amount of annual points with Southwest (either through flying or credit card spend), you get a companion pass where you can bring someone with you on every flight you take FOR FREE for the entire year. I can’t tell you how many thousands of dollars I save using this every year.

What makes this doable is that the sign up bonuses from Southwest credit cards goes towards the point requirement.

By far the quickest way to qualify for the companion pass is by signing up for a personal AND business card through Southwest.

**Besides being a business owner, if you’re self-employed, a freelancer or contractor, a gig economy worker, if you own rental properties, etc…you qualify for a business card.

And you’ll be most of the way towards qualifying for a Companion Pass PLUS you’ll have 110K points to book flights to Hawaii. That’s enough points to book 3-4 flights to Hawaii! AND you can take someone with you for FREE.

P.P.S. Here’s one more really important thing you need to know before your Hawaii trip…

You’ve got your airfare, hotel, rental car and your big activities booked, so you should be good to go, right? Wrong!

Travel is BOOMING in Hawaii and a lot of state and national parks have instituted reservation systems at some of the island’s most popular spots to help manage the crowds and make things a little more sustainable.

That means that there are now over half a dozen sites (beaches, trailheads, etc.) that require advance reservations. And some sell out well before you arrive on the island so you really need to have some sort of a plan.

I recently saw somebody in a Hawaii travel group post in a panic that they didn’t know they had to make reservations for things in advance…they thought they could just show up and “go with the flow.” I was tempted to say, well, “as long as the flow doesn’t take you somewhere that requires reservations, you can!” ; )

But I don’t want YOU to be that person, so I’ve pulled together a list of all the places you need to reserve entry in advance (plus all the details on booking windows, price, links, etc.) and a handful of popular tourist hotspots that book out really far in advance too.
Get that info >> HERE