Visitor reservations open Monday for Iao Valley State Monument

Starting 9 a.m. Monday, out-of-state residents will be able to make reservations to visit Iao Valley State Monument when it reopens May 1, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced today.

The popular Maui scenic spot has been closed for nine months for a $4 million slope stabilization project and is now the fourth state park in Hawaii to require advance reservations for nonresidents. The others are Diamond Head State Monument, Haena State Park on Kauai’s north shore and Waianapanapa State Park in Hana.

Iao Valley is famed for Kukaemoku, more commonly known as Iao Needle, a natural feature formed by erosion that rises 1,200 feet from the valley floor. The site also has cultural and spiritual signi­ficance as a former Hawaiian settlement and scene of the Battle of Kepaniwai where Kamehameha I’s warriors conquered Maui forces in 1790.

The new Iao Valley reservation system will mirror those in use at Diamond Head and Waianapanapa, which were introduced “following the pandemic and were the result of overcrowding and a glut of commercial tours,” DLNR said in a news release.

All state park day-use reservations can be made at gostateparks.hawaii.gov. The parking fee is $10 per vehicle, with an additional nonresident entrance fee of $5 per person, with no charge for children under 3 years of age. There are separate fees for commercial vehicles.