Hiking Diamond Head Crater, also known as Lēʻahi Crater by native Hawaiians, gave us some mixed feelings on our final day in Hawai’i. The views from the top of the crater are phenomenal, but that same allure that brought us to the park also brought hundreds of other people. Now, I don’t mind sharing space, especially when it comes to the outdoors, but this hike was downright unenjoyable, and that’s very hard to admit.
Side rant: I always try to convince myself that every experience we have while traveling is amazing, but that’s not always the case. Maybe it’s the fear of missing out — feeling disappointed that we spent time on an activity that wasn’t worth it when we could have been doing something else. That fear pushes me to try and convince myself that every activity was amazing even when it wasn’t. Whether it’s some bland food at a restaurant, a lousy hike or even a destination in general — trying to convince myself that every moment is magical really just takes away from the moments that really did take my breath away. So I’m trying to be more mindful of my genuine reactions and treating them with the validity to be expressed.
Long story short, hiking Diamond Head Crater was definitely a letdown.
The park is incredibly popular, one of the biggest tourist destinations on Oahu, but it was also a huge tourist trap. On our first day in Oahu, we tried to visit Diamond Head for sunset, but it was closed for the day. The tunnel that leads into the park was blocked off. On our last day, we decided to give it another try.
We drove through the grandiose tunnel into the park, waited in line for a parking spot for 15 minutes, and then we were charged $10 for a spot. No biggie. Small park, we kind of figured we’d have to pay for parking. But the real shock came when we got out of the car and saw a huge line at the trailhead. The trailhead was being monitored by park staff members collecting a $5 per person fee for hiking the trail. This felt like highway robbery. How could they be gatekeeping the outdoors to such an extent?
And yes, I’m sure there are benefits as well — limiting foot traffic is good for the longevity of the trail and environment, funding the upkeep of the trail, etc. — but this felt more like an easy way to make a profit than good-intentioned stewardship.
Either way, we paid our entrance fees and dealt with some unsavory characters in the line (this woman kept trying to cut), and finally made it onto the trail.
The hike itself was short, only about an hour total and just under two miles. We could have completed it faster, and would have liked to considering we were trying to catch a flight right after, but the trail was crowded with no room to pass. At the top of the hike, we were presented with a faster option. A less populated route took us up a steep flight of stairs into a strange tunnel system. We climbed a spiral staircase and popped back out onto the trail. That part of the hike felt like a fever dream, like we were running through some secret base hidden in the side of the crater.
When we finally made our way to the overlook point, we could see the shape of the crater and where it met the ocean. To our right, we could see Honolulu and the white caps of Waikiki Beach. Tiny little surfers were barely visible riding the waves. The sun was hot and there were too many bodies up at the top, so we didn’t stay long before starting our descent.
Yet, of course, there was another delay. A filming crew was shooting a scene for a remake of Magnum Pi (or something like that), some old TV show. But they required the trail to be empty for quite a distance to get their drone shots of some woman running up the trail.
Cool, yes. Annoying, also yes.
We rushed down the crater as fast as we could given the crowd and made it back to the trailhead with just enough time for me to buy an embroidered patch for my collection. Then we booked it to the airport enjoying our final run in the convertible.
Overall, the view from the top was beautiful and, in an ideal world, I’d recommend this hike. But, with the added hassles of fees and crowded trails, this isn’t a hike I’d recommend if you’re the type of hiker that enjoys the process of getting to the top and not just the views once you get there.
kpctravels.com 