ALOHA!
The Diamond Head hike is one of the most popular Oahu hikes!
You will be hiking the Diamond Head Summit Trail.
If you’ve done even just minimal research on planning your trip to Oahu, then you are sure to have seen Diamond Head in pictures.
The Diamond Head crater is one of the most famous icons of Oahu… and Hawaii!
Diamond Head is one of Hawaii’s most famous landmarks.
I’ve done the Diamond Head hike, and here’s what you need to know!
If you are staying in Waikiki, there’s a good chance you will see Diamond Head at one point or another. (Although, because of the formation of the Waikiki Beach shoreline, you can’t see Diamond Head from every spot of Waikiki Beach… but if you are staying at Hilton Hawaiian Village for example, you will be swimming with views of Diamond Head!)
And, if you are sitting on the correct side of the plane when you fly into Honolulu Airport, you might even see the iconic Diamond Head crater from above!
So basically, Diamond Head is an icon of Hawaii.
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Can you hike to the top of Diamond Head?
Yes, it’s possible to hike to the top of the Diamond Head summit!
You cannot drive to the top of Diamond Head.
Hiking is the way to get to the top!
You can hike Diamond Head on your own!
You can go inside the Diamond Head crater.
And once you are inside the crater, you can hike to the top of the Diamond Head crater.
This is one of the best things to do on Oahu.
👆 You can go inside Diamond Head crater. When you first go inside the Diamond Head crater, you will arrive at the bottom of the crater which is a grassy area. The highlight of going inside the Diamond Head crater is hiking to the top of Diamond Head!
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More need-to-know about doing the Diamond Head hike!
The Diamond Head hike is one of the most popular hikes on Oahu.
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The Diamond Head Summit Trail is in the Diamond Head State Monument which is a State of Hawaii heritage site.
Officially, the Diamond Head Summit Trail is listed as 1.6 miles round trip.
That makes it less than a mile to get to the top of the Diamond Head crater.
But that less than a mile is up, up, UP!
So be prepared to work hard for the epic views of Waikiki!
Hawaii State Parks recommends that you give yourself 2 hours to complete the Diamond Head Summit Trail.
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You need a reservation to climb Diamond Head.
You need to make a $5 Diamond Head reservation before you go.
Here is the official Diamond Head reservation website.
As of September 2022, you can buy Diamond Head tickets 30 days in advance.
Read more official info about the Diamond Head State Monument.
Diamond Head tickets are limited, but it will be easier to buy tickets if you are going to Diamond Head without a car.
If you are renting a car, a $10 Diamond Head parking ticket also needs to be purchased, and parking spots are even more limited. So that’s why tickets without parking will be easier to buy.
Diamond Head is close to Waikiki, so it’s reasonable to get to Diamond Head without a car.
Going by Oahu bus or trolley does require a little bit of extra walking, but you can just think of it as part of the hike! Maybe it’ll be an extra 10 to 15 minutes of walking to get to the start of the Diamond Head Summit Trail.
👆 You will walk through a tunnel to get to the start of the Diamond Head hike!
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Figuring out which bus to take on Oahu is easy! Just consult google maps!
To further ease your mind about riding the bus, see the visual: How to take the Oahu bus!
👆 There is a bus stop near Diamond Head. The Oahu bus will drop you off right outside of the Diamond Head crater.
If you plan on taking the bus a few times while you are on Oahu, then you might want to buy a HOLO card before you take the bus to Diamond Head.
This card is not necessary since you can pay the bus fare in cash once you get on the bus (exact change), but it will make things easier.
The HOLO card is basically a cash card that will serve as your Oahu bus pass.
You can load it up with cash, or you can load it up online with your credit card.
But first you need to buy the HOLO card in person. You cannot buy this on the bus.
You can buy a HOLO card at any ABC Store in Waikiki.
You will need minimum $5 cash to get started ($2 for the card + $3 minimum bus fare), and then you can load the rest online. (Or, you can just pay in cash however much you want to load up the HOLO card!)
See more about the HOLO card for the Oahu bus.
And that’s a bit about the doing the iconic Diamond Head Summit Trail!
See more for planning your trip to Diamond Head and beyond:
- How to take the Oahu bus
- Things to do in Waikiki for VIEWS!
- Best things to do in Oahu
- What to pack for Hawaii
HAPPY HIKING TO THE DIAMOND HEAD CRATER SUMMIT!
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