One of the many switchbacks traversing the interior of the crater on the way to the summit
Every day, over 3,000 people visit Diamond Head State Monument in Honolulu. Angie, Marco and Jan decided they would brave the tourists in order to hike to the summit and enjoy the view.
View of Diamond Head caldera
Diamond Head is a wide, saucer-shaped crater that was formed over 300,000 years ago. The trail to the summit was built in 1908 as part of Hawaii’s coastal defense system. On the summit the Fire Control Station was completed in 1911 and was responsible for directing artillery fire from the batteries inWaikiki and Fort Ruger .
Diamond Head Lighthouse
The trail is only 0.8 miles to the summit, but it is quite strenuous- gaining almost 600 feet in elevation, in a series of numerous switchbacks and several flights of stairs, as it ascends from the crater floor. Even though there were a lot of people sharing the trail, everyone was quite courteous and friendly, and it turned out to be an enjoyable, albeit warm hike. The view from the summit was worth every step!
The reward after hiking to the summit- a picture perfect view of Waikiki
