Love everything about this spot! Whether I'm packing up for a full beach day, hanging out while…read morefishing, or scouting locations for a photo shoot, Kanaha always delivers. It has the perfect mix of park space, shade, and open coast. 10/10 recommend spending an afternoon here. Until next time, XOXO, ChelsieFletcher

Free park with a small parking lot. Just 5 minutes from the…read moreairport. We didnt walk the whole beach, just looked for a place to eat our lunch and came across the perfect picnic table in the shade with view of the ocean. Lots of flies so be aware. We saw some lifeguards on duty. Overall a calm park.

On Monday took my wife to Iao Valley state Monument park. Luckily I did on an over cast day because…read morewe seen beautiful water falls . The river down below was very strong and rough I've been here while it was a sunny day and you can actually go down to the river bed . What a sacred place you just feel the power of ancient Hawaiian soldiers fighting in this Valley . When I was a kid that mountain peak called a Iao needle used to have a little hole on top of that peak . Just like a needle point where you thread it through the needle hole. Very relaxing Valley away from all the stress in life which I really need . Support local

Iao Valley sits in Central-West Maui and covers a large area as a state park. We drove here from…read moreHonokōwai Beach Park on the west side. The GPS routed us down and then back north. Although it looks like a detour, it makes sense. The northern road is extremely narrow (at points only one car can pass), winding, and very slow. If you can avoid that route, definitely do. **Reservations Required You need to book online in advance. **Admission: $5 per person + $10 parking. For 2 people we paid $21.53 total. **Earliest entry is 7am. Parking is limited, so reserve an early slot if possible. They ask you to arrive about 30 minutes before your scheduled entry. **No cellphone reception once you head up the mountain. Cell service and even car radio cut out completely. Best to download maps or take screenshots beforehand. **Bring a power bank; we eventually just switched cellphones to airplane mode to save battery. In early December, mornings are a little cool, but once the sun comes up it gets really hot. Bring sunscreen, a light jacket, water, and hiking shoes. The trail is short (about 0.6 miles), but the ground is muddy and rocky, with some narrow paths brushing up against plants. If you don't like contact with tall grass, long sleeves help. It feels a bit like walking through a botanical garden. The highlight is Kuka'emoku (the "Iao Needle"), a 1,200-foot natural rock formation rising from the valley floor. We took our time, stopping often for photos and to enjoy the scenery, so the whole walk ended up taking us around 3 hours. Iao Valley State Monument 54 S High St, Wailuku, HI 96793

This was a pleasant park to walk around since we did not have reservations at another nearby state…read moremonument. Picnic facilities, well tended gardens, notable statues and structures honoring Asian groups that reside on Maui, and koi ponds. We also saw chickens, a turtle, and a pig. Beautiful views available free of charge.

Right along Wailuku Stream, this park was created to honor Maui's multicultural immigrant history…read more Inside you'll find architecture inspired by early Hawaiian homes, a New England saltbox, a Portuguese villa with gardens, plus courtyards reflecting Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditions. The park's name dates back to the 1790 Battle of Kepaniwai, when Kamehameha I fought against Maui's King Kahekili. Though the site was once left in ruins, today it's a peaceful park. Locals come here to grill (you can bring your own meat and charcoal) and cool off in the stream. The park itself isn't very large. At the entrance you'll spot the "天下為公" arch, and inside the Chinese garden there's a bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Displays highlight his connections to Honolulu and Maui, as well as the early Chinese immigrants who came to Hawaii in the 18th century. (Some of the info boards even gave me a little more perspective on how Sun Yat-sen was able to fund and recover from his failed revolutions.) It's only a few minutes from Iao Valley State Monument, so it makes a nice quick stop for photos and a walk. But if you're coming just for this park, it might feel a bit underwhelming. Kepaniwai Park & Heritage Gardens 870 Iao Valley Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793 Open 7am-5:30pm

Ugly park. You wouldn't like it. It is way too crowded lol…read more My baby hates it too and it has the worst view lol I am kidding. Beautiful little park perfect for little picnics and to let the little ones run around for a bit.

Happy Earth Day!…read more This neighborhood park is located in Wailuku Heights (new side), hence the name. It's a small park with limited amenities like picnic tables and "exercise stations," but boasts beautiful ocean views and brisk mountain breezes. I used to live in the neighborhood and used to bring my pups here a lot. Years later, I am happy that they finally put in a new playground for the little ones to enjoy (I recommend for older kids, 4 and up). They've also installed new equipment for visitors to do their exercises. Scan the QR code on the equipment for a video demo of exercises you can do at each station. These exercise areas, including the playground, is surrounded by astroturf which is nice and makes it more manageable. The park is now also ADA accessible as they've built a path down to the playground and through the lower part of the park. I like to bring my little one here because it's quiet, less frequented by people, and honestly the views are just amazing. We've enjoyed a picnic or two here and I can just sit for hours on end enjoying the ocean view

This lovely trail to a cross and beyond is shaded most of the way and feels very wild with dense…read morevegetation including huge agave century plants. It does get slippery when wet and is very steep in many places, and quite close to shear cliff drop offs, so good boots are most helpful. Due to daily rains, it was a bit muddy but we were fine with boots on and did make it to the boundary fence which is about 10 minutes past the cross. There is limited parking and watch out for afternoon rains.

Also called St Anthony Cross Hike. Great shaded cardio hike to get your heart pumping…read more Easy assessability in Central Maui. Safe parking. Good trail conditions, unless wet. Beautiful ocean, valley, harbor, airport and mountain views. 2.5 miles RT to the very top at the West Maui Watershed fence. Bring at least 1 liter of drinking water.

This is a private botanical garden near the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. It's easy to get here as…read morewell. Admission is $10 for visitors (which may be expensive unless you love plants), and thankfully free for kama'aina. It's not a large area, but it's filled with Hawaiian native plants. Many of them aren't the palm trees and plumeria you'd be expecting; these are the real ones, mostly hearty scrub type plants, plus many varieties of taro, breadfruit, and other staples. They had a nice variety of flowers. Parts of the garden are very sunny and hot, so dress accordingly. There are also shaded areas under trees and pavilions. They also have a clean restroom. It's worth a visit if you're a fan of flora and Hawaiian culture.

Dedicated to native Hawaiian costal and dry forest plants, the Maui Nui Botantical Gardens is…read morewithin (long) walking distance (under 2 miles) from the Kahului Cruise Port. It's collection started in the 1970s and once was a site for a zoo (which closed in 1997). Our party of four spent an early afternoon here, taking an Uber (got unlucky and hit surge pricing of $35) from a takeout lunch spot. The caretaker (who took our admission price of $10 per non-resident) was super nice, explaining how there is an app that one can download and can then use without internet to hear audio commentary on many of the plants in the collection. There is a modern bathroom building in the same area, along with a place to refill your water bottles. One can probably walk through the entire garden in about an hour if going fast, 2 hours if taking one's time and reading/listening. There are plenty of shaded places to sit, and because it wasn't too crowded, we never felt hurried. My favorite places were where they had the agricultural plants like taro, sweet potato, banana, and sugar cane (many varieties). They also had a small grove of coconut trees, cordoned off to prevent unfortunate accidents from falling ripe coconuts. They did have some flowering plants, including a hibiscus. But you wouldn't come here for that; instead its to learn about the plants native to Hawaii and pick up a bit of history along the way.

Waikapu Park is a small park and community center tucked away off of Waiko Road, located behind a…read moreresidential area. Parking is adequate. Views of Waikapu Valley and the West Maui Mountains are beautiful. There's a basketball court, baseball field, picnic tables and a newly renovated community center. The open-air community center has a small covered lanai, indoor seating, kitchen, restrooms and charcoal grills. OVERALL: Nice place to host a small-sized daytime party.

If you don't know the area, you'll easily pass it and miss it. It's known better as the Waikapu…read moreCommunity Center. You have to go up a what looks like a residential road and pass about 2 houses and you're here. The park itself is old, the fences still serves its purpose but it look like it can fall apart. The county maintains the park. There's a full basketball court, a baseball field (I don't think it's a full field,maybe for kids) and then there the community center. Parking is along side of the baseball field and there is a parking lot for maybe 10 cars at the community center .

Currently, you wouldn't even know that this was an actual park as nothing is here in terms of "park…read morefeatures" sans for grass and a park sign. Early plans back in 2014 called for soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts but none of them have been built. Some might confuse this place with the nearby Central Maui Regional Sports Complex which is already in use as a multi-baseball field facility. The park is about 26 acres with restroom facilities and a small parking lot which is locked at night. It's a wide open swath of land graded into several levels. There are no benches, not even a tree to perch under. So what is this place good for? I say to let your two-legged, sugar-filled kids burn off their energy, or for your four-legged fur babies to run amok. But, please pick up their crap! OVERALL: If and when they develop the fields for sporting events, parking will be a big problem. I can picture vehicles illegally parking on the shoulders and center grassy median. Maybe it should be left as is.

I usually come to this park to play with the Aerobee , it's the perfect spot to just let the Far…read morehigh flying disc soar and run after. I threw this disc at the upper field end to end. Perfect to play at this field or just bringing my grand kids to let them run and wear them out. Just waiting for it to open back up again due to the Corona Virus.