Hiking Diamond Head Trail
A Breathtaking Experience When Visiting O'ahu
Diamond Head Crater is one of Hawai'i's best-known landmarks. A hike to its summit provides good exercise and rewards climbers with stunning island views.
Few things are more satisfying than reaching the end of a good hike and being presented with a spectacular view. One of the most rewarding views for the least amount of hiking effort is to be seen from Hawai'i's Diamond Head Crater.
About the Crater
Located on the island of O'ahu, east of Waikiki, Diamond Head is the crater of an extinct volcano. It was originally called Laeahi (meaning "brow of the tuna") by the Hawaiians, referring to its shape. The spot got its current name from white sailors who spotted what they believed were diamonds on its slopes. The stones turned out to be calcite crystals.
Diamond Head crater reaches 760 feet at its highest point, and estimates of its age run from 100,000 to 300,000 years old. The volcano is guessed to have been extinct for 150,000 years.
Reaching the Summit
The crater can be reached by car or by bus. The number 58 will take you from Waikiki to just outside the crater, and a 15 to 20 minute walk will get you up through a tunnel to the centre of the crater and the beginning of the trail. The hike itself takes about an hour and a half. The trailhead is located in Kapiolani Park, where you will be asked for a $1 dollar entrance fee. There are public washrooms, water fountains (it's always a good idea to take a full water bottle on any hike, and this particular trek offers little to no shade along the way), and signs detailing several types of birds that inhabit the area.
The first section of the hike is on a gradual slope through small trees and scrub. After a short while the ground gets steeper and rockier as you begin to climb in earnest up the inside lip of the crater. Patches of fencing keep trekkers on the trail and prevent loose rocks from rolling down onto unprotected heads. At a few points along the way small landings provide places for a water break and a perusal of the ever more impressive view. The path also incorporates the remaining facilities of Fort Ruger, a US military fort built to guard the harbour, now long abandoned.
This is a fairly easy hike, with only two points that require any significant climbing; two steep stairways ascend the crater, one 99 steps long and the other 76. After that a tunnel takes hikers through the crater's lip and then a short spiral staircase and a low opening to the outside are all that stand between you and a glorious view of the island of O'ahu. The quantity of postcard-blue ocean visible from the top of Diamond Head is breathtaking, and the views of Waikiki and other island communities to the east offer a glittering finish to the climb. This is a spot not to miss when visiting O'ahu.
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