In all the trips we’ve made to Hawai‘i, we’ve never hiked Diamond Head. With four days in Honolulu after our cruise, we decided to get adventurous and make the hike up Diamond Head. We’d heard stories about the climb and read up on what to expect. I would have liked to have done this hike earlier in the day, but we took the Hop on, Hop off bus to get here and were limited by their schedule and our own laziness (we missed the first run of the bus).
Diamond Head is a volcanic tuff cone with an elevation of 761 feet. For someone who is in good shape, this isn’t that much elevation but, as the saying goes, my biological clock is ticking and this hike was a stark reminder that I am not twenty, or even thirty or forty.
Our hike began at 200 feet elevation, which is where the trailhead is. We made it up past the first set of stairs, 74 in all, and through the 225 foot tunnel. When we came out the other end of the tunnel, we looked up to the right. Ninety-nine steep concrete steps seemed to stretch on to the sky. Those steps take you to the lowest level of the Fire Control Station. At this point, you might ask how many more levels are there? The answer is four. Which means there are more stairs—I think it’s another 136 altogether, more trails, more heat, and more sun.
When we turned around, we were hot, tired, and felt like our skin was baking. The line of people going up Diamond Head resembles a row of ants. Some of the people were in good enough shape to make it to the top. Others, like us, not so much. If you’re thinking of hiking Diamond Head, do a few things first. Prepare by climbing stairs—lots of them. Second, go early in the day. After ten, there are a lot of people who show up to make this climb. And third, have lots of patience. This is a long, slow climb and because of all the other people who are there and the narrow width of the trail, your pace may be determined by someone else, not you.
Want to follow along on our journey? Here’s a link where you can find all the entries in our travel journal.
Photos from our Diamond Head hike
There's very little green at this level. This is a dry part of the island, so brown predominates.
From the beginning of the trail things don't look that bad.
Between the full parking lot at the trailhead, the number of people milling around, and the line at the top, it's obvious the urge to conquer Diamond Head is huge.
We've now climbed high enough to be over the canopy of the treetops. And honestly, it wasn't that hard getting to this point.
The higher you go, the better the views.
We came around a switchback and saw this stream of visitors climbing to the next level. It reminded me of ants working.
Just before you tackle the fist set of steps and a tunnel, there is a lookout.
Even from here the views go on to other islands - look closely at the blue horizon (left side) and you'll see the outline of Maui
The trail to the top is one swithback after another.
We reached the decision point - to continue on or stop? We chose to turn around and head down.
This is just the first set of steps. After these,, there are at least two more sets. This is where the tough get going and the rest of us watch.
According to this sign (and the 3rd graders of Waikīkī) a webland forms in the crater of Diamond Head Crater in the rainy months.
