Our last full day in Oahu was filled with more action than you could shake a stick at (as Mr. A would say). We started our day off nice and early to avoid not only the dreaded Oahu traffic but also to dodge the blazing sun. In order to bypass the heat and the sun, our travel books recommended getting to our first location, the Diamond Head Crater, as early as possible. Even though we got there around 9 am, the sun was still pounding down on our bodies with no forgiveness (I can’t imagine what it’s like to hike here in full heat).
We grabbed one of the last parking spots at the bottom of the trail and prepared ourselves for the trek up to the top. If you are headed up there, make sure to slather yourself in sunscreen and bring a hat and some water for the journey. There’s nowhere to grab water or go to the bathroom once you’ve started your ascent.
The park had an employee standing near the park entrance sign who was graciously offering to take visitors’ pictures. This may be our only non-sweaty picture from the day.
Then it was time to start our climb to the top. A few of our travel books downplayed this hike as one of the easiest, most relaxing hikes ever. I’m here to tell you that’s not true. Certainly, it wasn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever done but I wouldn’t classify it as easy by any means.
If you have a problem with stairs or confined spaces, you’re going to want to skip out on this one. Not only do you have to climb up several flights of stairs but at one point there’s a winding staircase that one person wide.
Besides that, there’s a very long tunnel that hikers must walk through before you even get to the stairs. This would be a good time to point out that a flashlight might also be handy if you are hiking in the wee, early morning hours.
Outside of the stairs and tunnels, past the first 300 yards or so (which are completely paved), the trail is an unpaved, uneven, rocky path. In an attempt not to twist my ankle, I spent a lot of our hike checking the ground to make sure that I was landing on a solid piece of ground. Not to discourage any of you would be hikers (the view at the top is certainly amazing) but a lot of people have glazed over how difficult this trail can be if you aren’t in good shape or if you have health issues.
The hike, which spans .8 miles, gains 560 feet as you walk from the crater floor all the way to the peak. The trail was originally created for military purposes to serve as a lookout point for batteries that were built into the sides of the crater. The 350 acre crater was formed over 300,000 years ago during a single eruption. Diamond Head received its name in the 1700s when Western explorers mistook the rocks on the slope of the crater for diamonds. While they may not have found diamonds, they certainly did find a great place to overlook Oahu.
From the top of the trail, you can see over Honolulu, including the famous Waikiki Beach.
Directly in front of us was the Diamond Head lighthouse.
To the far east side was Kahala and Kawaikui.
Since there are only a few small observation areas at the top of the trail, it did get crowded pretty quickly. We had to wait our turn to take uninterrupted pictures. But after hiking for an hour, waiting a few minutes in the breeze was no big deal.
After taking our fill of landscape pictures, it was time to head back to the crater floor. Walking down the trail wasn’t nearly as difficult or claustrophobic. The route to the bottom loops to the far right side of the crater, circumventing the spiral staircase, but we still had to walk through the tunnel. Even though gravity was on our side on the way down, we still made sure that we constantly checked our footing and watched out for hikers coming in the opposite direction. There are several switchbacks that aren’t wide enough for two people so you have to keep your eyes open.
All in all for a 2 mile 90 minute trip, the hike of Diamond Head was worth it to see the view at the top. It was nice to say that we had conquered the iconic crater on the Hawaiian islands. Although the view as great, I don’t think either one of else felt that it was worth repeating—sweating to death just isn’t our thing. But if you are up for a hike and you enjoy the outdoors, Diamond Head would make a great trail for you—just make sure to pack plenty of sunscreen and water because that Hawaiian sun is very unforgiving and there will be no shade in sight.
