Diamond Head Summit Trail

Welcome to Travel Tuesday! This is the first of a wholeee ton of posts on Hawai’i (more specifically, on the island of Oahu)–we’re visiting the Diamond Head Summit Trail first!

I got to my Airbnb (yay for vacationing on the cheap!) by around noon and decided to have some shaved ice before going on my first hike! Hau Nani Shave Ice was less than a mile from where I was staying, so I opted for the Strawberry Lychee. <3

A photo posted by Farrah @ fairyburger (@fairyburger) on Jun 2, 2016 at 3:34pm PDT

Then I found a bus to take to Diamond Head State Park! I was still figuring out the bus system and left the bus a few stops too soon (at the Kapi’olani Community College…), so I just walked a bit more than I meant to. 

Distance: ~1.6 miles out-and-back trail
Elevation: 560′
Trailhead Location: Off Diamond Head Road between Makapu’u Avenue and 18th Avenue, Honolulu
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Parking: Usually fairly ample (I walked, so this wasn’t relevant for me :P ). As the sign suggests, admission fee/parking is $5 for a private vehicle and $1 for walk-ins.

If you’re walking, you have to go through the tunnel to get there! It takes about 1-2 hours to get to the top depending on fitness level + how long you linger up there!

The trail starts off paved, but quickly turns into “tuff,” which is what the cemented-together ash + rock from the eruption 300k years ago is called!

There are a hell of a lot of stairs, and the last tenth of a mile is entirely composed of rather steep flight of em’, so make sure you wear good walking shoes, and if you’re afraid of heights, maybe don’t look behind you during your ascent!

I actually thought I’d hiked up this somewhere in my past (the last time I went to Hawai’i was back in 2003), but after seeing those stairs, I know there’s no way I ever did because I was with my family at the time and my mom does not do stairs like those.

The view from up top is absolutely gorgeous, and definitely well worth the trip!

A photo posted by Farrah @ fairyburger (@fairyburger) on Aug 24, 2016 at 2:28pm PDT

There are 2-3 rescues on this trail every week for all kinds of different reasons (dehydration, vertigo, exhaustion, claustrophobia, broken ankle, heart attack…), so use your common sense, don’t attempt anything crazy up there, and know your limits.

At the summit, you’ll be able to see the bunkers on the crater rim as well as a lighthouse! :]

On a clear day, you can see all the way from Koko Head to Wai’anae! :]

For the record, there isn’t much shade on this trail at all (other than whilst climbing the stairs and in the tunnel), so make sure you bring a hat, sunglasses, water, and apply ample amounts of sunscreen!

A photo posted by Farrah @ fairyburger (@fairyburger) on Jun 2, 2016 at 5:51pm PDT

The trail is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Last entrance is at 4:30 p.m., and the gates lock at 6 p.m., so please try not to get stuck there.

If you don’t feel like you got enough of a workout by the time you get back down, you’re in luck! The Bryan Clay Exercise Park is located on the exterior slope of Diamond Head; it’s named after an Olympic decathlon gold medalist from Hawai’i! Just don’t burn yourself on the equipment!

I had a celebratory meal at Pa’ina Cafe afterward and got a Shichimi-Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna Bowl! <3

A photo posted by Farrah @ fairyburger (@fairyburger) on Jun 2, 2016 at 8:15pm PDT

• Have you ever hiked up Diamond Head? …Or ever thought you’d been on a hike somewhere in your past and then realized you hadn’t?
• What would you have for a celebratory meal?

Check out my other Travel Tuesday posts!