‪Diamond Head State Monument

Took an uber to the visitor center. The uber drivers have to pay $2 fee to get through the gate for the day, so I felt a little bad but the uber was $11+ from Waikiki. It was still early (around 9am) so he could make multiple trips up and make up for it.

Not too hard of a hike, but plenty of people on the path going up and coming down which was kind of annoying at times. Trying to get by people took some time because there was always someone coming down and there is only room for 1 row of people on either side.

There were points where the path was pretty uneven, and I was a little shocked to see a lady with flip flops carrying a baby in a sling. At the top viewpoint some people were a little pushy and hogging the best photo spot, but people were also helpful in taking each other's photos. The little bunker before the top was cute. Tunnels were a bit tight.

Worth doing once to say I did it but not necessary to do it again. I think we hiked it in about 45 minutes. Bring a bottle or 2 of water.

My family of 4 hiked diamond head, took us about 30 minutes to go up, 25 to go down, and It was amazing, one of the best hikes I’ve ever done. HOWEVER, the reason for only two stars is the parking problem! We drove our car all the way into the crater to the parking lot, but as we kept getting closer we noticed they were steering people away, and making them turn around. When we got to the near front of the line, we saw a sign saying “parking lot full”. Now, I understand it’s crowded and all, but they really should have put the sign up more (maybe by the cave tunnel you have to drive through) so people don’t have to drive all the way there just to get turned around to leave at the entrance to the lot. What we did was park our car in a neighborhood and got a olive that dropped us off at the lot. They really need to get there parking situation under control. If all those cars were able to park (and therefore pay the parking fee) this monument could be making a whole lot more of money! So, I’d recommend either making the sign that the lots full more visable and further up, or allowing people to park in the huge open dirt field right next to the parking lot!

This was our third climb so I had to rate it a little less than the first when it was a nivel experience. Having said that, I would consider it a must do if you are in Honolulu. Public tranportation is available and cheap. It was $2.00 for a city bus, but it does not get you real close to the crater. About a 15 min walk and it does get hot. There are trolleys that drop you off right at the visitor's centre but they are more expensive. We went by rental car and the fee was $5.00 for parking. No other charge. Since we are both seniors we took our time going up. Also my wife has a bad knee, but that should not deter most people. They say 20-30 min is a good time to reach the top. The ascent is fairly gentle with the stairways the hardest part. 99 and 76 steps. There is a long tunnel too, if you are claustrophobic at all. The view at the top is spectacular. We liked being able to see our hotel, the Royal Hawaiian. You really should go.

Amazing hike. They charge you a dollar to get in and then you follow the trail all the way up. It's a combination of ramps and stairs. I would suggest still wearing good shoes as there are some uneven paths at times. It's pretty busy as it's a popular hike but very much worth it for the views. They don't let anyone hike after 4.30pm so make sure you get there in time.

We took a cab from Waikiki on the first Thursday of December. The cost for Diamond Head was $5/person, but if you drive, they also charge $10 to park. The park doesn't accept cash - only credit/debit card. Hike to the summit took over 1/2 hour due to some parts being steep and taking photo breaks, etc. When you go through the tunnel toward the top, you have to go either left or right - we went left because it's not quite as steep as going right and through the steps and spiral steps in the bunker. We spent about 20 minutes at the top admiring the great views before we started our descent going through the bunker on the way down. We arrived at 8:45 am so it wasn't too busy, but it started getting crowded before we left at about 10:30 after drinking a pineapple drink at the bottom. We walked back to Waikiki (about 2.5 to 3 miles because we visited the Honolulu Zoo which is on the way back. If you go, bring water, sunscreen and wear comfortable shoes. I would describe the hike as moderate as it wasn't too difficult, but it helps to be in reasonably good shape.

We came across this place when looking for things to do on a drive around the island. This is state monument, so you do have to reserve your slot ahead of time online. They open about a month or two ahead of time. It seemed that there was a lot of availability all the way up until a day or two before that it was filled up more. The morning times are more popular than the afternoon times. You do have to pay entry fee, and then if you are parking, that is an extra fee as well. I did see many people park elsewhere down the hill and then walk into the park, which I believe is a discounted entry fee. Once you scan your reservation, you get handed a map (helpful for the hike since there are some forks in the path) and you park and take the path to the top of the crater. There is a very very small shack with some limited souvenirs at the bottom in the parking lot as well. The path starts out paved for a small bit, and then it turns to rocky and uneven as it winds it way up to the top. There are also many stairs. Please be sure to bring a water bottle! The trail isn’t very wide so everyone was courteous in pulling to the side if they needed a break, or if someone else was going the opposite way that you were. There are a few spots as well that have some pull off areas that have benches or just have different scenic views for photos. We chose to do the sunrise hike so we arrived at 6am (they open at 5:45am) for the sun to rise at 6:30am. The temperature was perfect before the sun was coming up. Many other people had the same idea as us because it was quite crowded at the top and hard to find a spot to sit and watch the sunrise, many others spread out along the path on the way up. There is a bunker built into the side that there are some signs about at the top. At the top you can get a view of the crater below, a view out onto the ocean, a view of Waikiki, and a mountain/island view. It was a very cool adventure to do. If you are fit and don’t stop along the way, it will take about 30 minutes up and 30 minutes down. Overall this was a cool thing to do as we have never seen or been on a crater before, and it had amazing views. This was also a great way to catch the sunrise.

I would recommend either going very early in the morning or late in the afternoon . We visited about 9:30 am and it was very crowded and hot. The hike itself is not difficult, although it does involve a constant incline and steep stairs. Views on top are beautiful.

This adventure was taken with a full on workout in mind; I did it in flipflops and made it to the top of those many many many make shift stairs in 20 minutes. The climb for the average person would probably seem grueling bothersome and not worth the trouble, but low and behold once you make it to the summit you are rewarded with the most fantastic views that will surely be one of the most lasting memories of your entire vacation!

With all of that said, I would highly recommend gym shoes for the safety and overall comfort of the climb. Go for it!
Enjoy and have a safe blessed adventure.

We were here in January and the rainy season came early. We had a rental car for the day and first arrived in the morning but it was jam packed with cars; the wait for parking would have been long. So we passed and went on our rest of the day tour of the island. Toward the end of the day, we decided to give this place another try; to our surprise, there was plenty of parking and they weren't even charging to park, but we would have to hurry before they closed. The hike was much harder than I expected; not so much for our energetic 18 year old grandson. He kept slowing down/waiting for us. The view from the top does not include the actual Diamond Head crater, which was disappointing, but the views of the island were great. With the rainy season comes the rainbows. On the way down, I slipped on a wet area but luckily was holding onto the rail and just wrenched my shoulder a little, but better than falling. Wear good quality shoes! I was but still slipped in the steeper wet areas.

A must experience hike while in Honolulu! Omg! I cannot express how outstanding this hike was. Diamond Head is great for anyone who wants to experience nature at its finest. We did the early morning hike 6:30am so we could watch the sunrise and it was incredible!!! The hike itself was a moderate hike, but I recommend to get there as early as possible because it can get hot really fast. Take the essentials; water, sunblock, a hat and some really good shoes.

There is a food truck that sells acai bowls, water, hot dogs, pineapple drinks, and some other goodies. Nice treat to yourself after conquering the crater. There was also a nice little souvenir store at the bottom of the hill too.