Maui-More than Just the Beach

When people think of Maui and Hawaii in general, they often think of the beach first. Heck as an island resident, when I have some down time I tend to grab my surf board and head to the beach before anything else. Yesterday the prospects for surf were limited so my friend Tom and I did something a little different and headed up to the Iao Valley in the West Maui Mountains. Maui has some beautiful mountain areas from the massive dormant volcano Haleakala to the lush and rugged West Mauis.

The West Mauis are an old remnant volcano that is eroding rapidly. The results of the rapid erosion are jagged, steep and lush peaks. The steep slopes are filled with the trails from periodic waterfalls. When the area is subjected to heavier rain, hundreds of waterfalls spill down these steeper slopes. We did a nice little hike up in the Iao valley. Much of the hike was forested and a pleasant relief from the warm summer sun. The forest is a mix of native plants and non-native vegetation. Regardless of origins, there are lots of beautiful flowers along the way. We were also able to climb a little off the valley floor to get some more panoramic views of the mountains surrounding us.

Perhaps, the best part of the hike was the post hike dip in the Iao Stream. The cool mountain waters were a great way to wash off sweat from the trail.

The Iao Valley is located in Wailuku, Maui. There are properties for sale along the entrance of the valley and on the lower slopes of the West Maui Mountains. Check out all of the current listings for Wailuku Homes on MauiRealEstate.com.