Diamond Head

Diamond Head.  We've all heard of it.  You see any commercial, picture of Honolulu, or anything to do with Hawaii, chances are Diamond Head is in the background.  It is visible from almost all of the south and west shores as an imposing peak above Waikiki Beach and Honolulu town.  With that notoriety comes popularity.  With popularity comes crowds...lots and lots of crowds.

While Kathryn was here, we wanted to do this "hike" to check off her bucketlist.  We got there pretty early (I think like 8:30, which with a 50 minute drive from our house was early for "vacation"), but the small parking lot was already full.  We had to turn around and hike up from a park at the base of the crater.  It ended up not being too bad of a walk, but we were stopped by taxis on the way up and down asking if we wanted a ride to the top.  After passing through a tunnel through the side of the crater, we reached the tollbooth where we paid our small entry fee (I think it was $3 per person) and we were ready to begin.  Did I mention the crowds of people?

There were people congregated EVERYWHERE. Old, young, out of shape, in shape, fast, slow, in dresses, in flip-flops (slippers), in hiking gear...EVERYWHERE (disclaimer: I don't recommend dresses OR slippers on any of the trails. It blows my mind how many people do these hikes the wrong attire).  I knew it was going to be crowded, but I really had no idea (it probably didn't help that we came on a Saturday...).  The trail starts out nice and paved, then drops off onto a narrower, dirt/rock trail.  We were stuck behind a very large group walking 3-wide very slowly, and we were losing our minds.  We were eventually able to weave our way in-and-out of that group and get a move on.  There was a lot of weaving, but we made it to the top in under 30 minutes.  At the end of the trail you walk uphill in a tunnel and you think you're about to pop out at the top, only to find that there is a steep set of stairs, then another spiral staircase to go to get to the top (there was another option of climbing stairs more gradually, but we didn't realize that at the time).

Once we made it to the top, the views west to Honolulu and east to Hawaii Kai were beautiful, but you had to wait your turn to get a spot at the rail to see it and take a picture.  Don't even think about shifting your weight because somebody else is set right there to squeeze their way in.

Despite the crowds, we enjoyed seeing the views of the coast line and on the way back, the views of the crater.  While it was a check off the bucketlist, there are other hikes that provide similar views without the crowds, but it is an easy hike that young and old can accomplish.  I would recommend doing this hike in the morning if you want the best pictures of Honolulu or in the afternoon for your best pictures of Hawaii Kai (just the way the sun reflects and sets on the water). 

After working off those calories, Kathryn and I enjoyed a nice meal at Kona Brewing in the Koko Head Marina, then headed off to Hanauma Bay (that post to follow next). 

Until the next adventure, Aloooha!