Hiking Diamond Head is not a walk in the woods. I recommend getting to Diamond Head real early in the morning.
Our first experience hiking Diamond Head was in 1998. The crowds were far less. There was a guy selling Diamond Head Tee-shirts with a certificate that read “Diamond Head Summit Club Member.” They delivered the shirts later to your hotel.
You could also pick up a flashlight for the tunnel. All that is gone. The tunnel today is lighted and there is a small shop that sells souvenirs and even a food truck which sells cokes, hot dogs and shave ice!
Diamond Head hike is the number one trail on Oahu.
I highly recommend getting to Diamond Head early in the morning. Not only to beat the crowds, but particularly the heat. The crater is like an oven. We met a Honolulu Fireman who has rescued plenty of people off that trail “because they underestimate the hike.”
The gate through the tunnel to Diamond Head does not open until 6:00 A.M. We were third in line with our car. Luckily, the sun rose past 6:00 A.M. and many people were along the road watching the beautiful sunrise. A car cost five dollars to get in; walking in will cost you a dollar. You can park along the road outside the tunnel or park by the community college and walk up.
The trail itself is only a little more than a half mile in length. There is water below by the facilities. This extinct volcano cone is dry and desert like. If you get thirsty fast, I would recommend bringing water. There is no water at the top of Diamond Head crater.
Diamond Head is only 750 feet high, but it feels higher. The trail starts out paved. How nice!
But, it does turn in a rocky route filled with switchbacks. There are a number of steps which leads to a long lighted tunnel.
After the tunnel, you have a choice to make. Go forward to another tunnel and climb 99 steps, or go to the left and meander up a path without the tunnel. There are steps there too leading up to the central viewing area.
It is a bit of a puffer for us flatlanders! I have never heard anyone complaining, though, about that view.
The sight over Waikiki is just spectacular. Well worth the effort and time. The only other place with a similar view is The Punch Bowl.
You are on top of one of the most iconic symbols of Hawaii, if not the geological world. And, to think that it was once a W.W.II bunker. Then, too, to be standing on a half a million year old volcanic cone–incredible.
If you flew from the United States, I would recommend doing the Diamond Head hike on those first few days when your biological clock is ahead.
We did meet a well-conditioned runner who did the trail in 11 minutes. It took us a good thirty-five minutes. It is all worth the effort for that view.
