A quiet harbor…
People will laugh that this 1.3 kilometer, 560 foot hike is even on this page, but heck… we were on vacation, it was the vacation thing to do and my 2nd time up it. So of course, I convinced the family we had to do it! The kids enjoyed it. Most people think of Diamondhead as a mountain that juts out to the ocean delivering the view you get when sitting on Waikiki beach. Actually it is part of the crater rim of an old volcano and once on top it is clearly visible that is exactly what it is…
Yeah, we did it on a Sat, yeah, we arrived late at 9:00am but we were on vacation! Not much to say about the trail other than when climbing it in daylight you need a flashlight, it’s hot, it not pretty, and the view of Honolulu is to kill for. We were up and down in 1.5 hours along with a zillion other people, but it was a great outing to get our blood moving for board surfing later in the day. The pictures pretty much tell the story… and I’ll even throw is few pretty pictures at the end just so you can see how beautiful the rest of Hawaii is!
Climbing up through the crater to the first tunnel and stairs
Debbie and Ben heading up stairs on a mountain…
Entering the first tunnel… it gets pitch black as it bends at one point…
The views as you reach the first gun emplacement and can see outside of the crater…
From the rim; you can see the actual crater…
Up a spiral staircase, crowded with people and you are in the command center…allif left to do is crawl out, walk to the top for the great views…
To the right (west) is Honolulu…
For this hike description to make sense if you have never been there the following map is essential. During World War II, Diamondhead was used to defend the island…
and the summit (inside)
And lastly, just to show you there are great views from elsewhere on the island and spending 12 days there on a family vacation is well worth it, take a look at these photos…
Witches brew
Sunset
Beta: 2.6 km rt, 560′ elevation gain