Hawaii Nature Center

Lush greenery everywhere my favorite place to visit on maui, fresh water run offs from the mountain to swim in

Need a place to stop and escape from the tourist traps? This is your place. Maybe it was because it was the end of the day, the trail closes at 4 FYI, but it was basically empty. The family and I casually strolled through the trail with no instructions to guide us. Seriously, no one was here except I think someone at the snack bar – even the gift shop and restaurant was closed. Oh well, we figured out to go through the gate and follow the trail after writing our names down on an attendance sheet by the school? bathrooms. I figured we should do this in case they locked the gate in front of the bridge. It was a beautiful hike and helped to remind me that Maui is not completely brown like the hotel side of the island. It truly is strange that Maui is brown on one side and lush green on the other. As one reviewer said, wear mosquito repellent. I didn’t need any the entire trip, including the Road to Hana, but I got pretty bitten up on the trail. It was worth it though. Don’t forget to leave a donation in the little box by the attendance sheet.

So, an old website told us that this little nonprofit hosts a Rainforest Walk every day at 11:30 and 1:30 for 20 bucks a pop. Sounded cute, so we called to make a reservation.
But the exceedingly nice girl on the phone informed me that they didn’t have set times for hikes anymore due to a decrease in attendance and tour guides could be called in if you make a reservation in advance (keep this in mind if you want to bring a group here). There was however, a little pamphlet that we could pick up at their main office to take us on a self guided hike, which was basically the same thing as the tour, she said. Also, they no longer charge $ 20, but they do have a 10 dollar suggested donation for upkeep of the trails and such. Sounds good! I said.
When we got there, we were greeted by the same sweet girl from the phone. Although the place looked swamped with the arrival of a mass of little campers there to stay at their facilities for the night, she was very patient with Mom and I and answered all of our questions — even led us to the head of the trail!
The trail was probably about a mile and half long. Up and down some minor hills (maybe to much for grandma to handle FYI). Along the way there are little numbers placed on the trail that correspond with the laminated sheet that they give you to tell you about all of the different types of plant life (which are native species, which were introduced, uses the natives had for the plants, etc) that exist in the rainforest. The sheet also fills you in on some Hawaiian history!
Very educational. Bring someone literate! It’s fun if you have someone read the sheet at each number. Careful! You might learn something.

The Hawaii Nature Center, located in the Iao Valley State Park, is a non-​profit organization dedicated to fostering awareness, appreciation, and understanding of Hawaii and its natural environment, and providing a educational experience for visitors to the Islands.
Iao Valley is the site of one of the most famous and bloody battles that changed Hawaiian history forever. On this site, In 1790, King Kamehameha I destroyed the Maui army in his effort to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The valley is still a sacred burial ground for the ancient kings and their people.
The Nature Center offers guided hikes through the Iao Valley for a small fee. After crossing Iao Stream by bridge, the tour passes by an ancient village site, a live taro patch, and numerous indigenous, Polynesian-​introduced, and recently-​introduced exotic plants, including wild coffee trees and giant banana plants. The hike continues through the rainforest to the base of the majestic, 2,250′ high Iao Needle pinnacle.
The Iao Valley is the wettest spot on Maui, and the second wettest in all the Hawaiian Islands. Wear sturdy shoes, bring a light jacket, a hat, and lots of insect repellent. The mosquitos here are voracious.
You can get a bite to eat at the snack bar at the Visitor’s Center. Surprisingly, it is run by the owner’s of the excellent Café O’Lei, and serves up gourmet-​quality light fare.