hey guys today we are hiking up to the top of diamond head state monument here in hawaii
diamond head is the landmark that you see from waikiki beach it's an extinct crater and there's
some places up here on the mountain that were used for coastal defense back in the early 1900s
so we're going to take this hike you do need advanced reservations
you have to book it online before you arrive or you don't get let in the parking lot there's just
a very small parking lot before you go through the tunnel up here if you don't have reservations you
can stop for some views but i recommend that you go ahead and book your reservations ahead of time
you can make your reservation up to 30 days in advance now reservations are only required for
out-of-state residents hawaii residents can get in for free when you make your reservation you
also need to pay for parking it is ten dollars to park and five dollars per person to get in
closes at 6pm daily you need to start your hike by 4 30 to be out of here by 6.
it's my understanding this trail is paved the whole way with a set of stairs
somewhere before you get to the top so yesterday when we were at waimea falls they said there was
no falls that everything was dry and if you can see the brush behind me it's super dry
i think they must be having some sort of a drought surprisingly dry on this mountain
this hike is three quarters of a mile up so one and a half round trip
they said i think i read it could be about 45 to 50 minutes
for the total hike
it's definitely hot you should try to get
a morning slot however when i went to book it they were already full
you can see all the switchbacks here everybody walking up
so it is paved with hand rails but i wouldn't say it's actually handicap
accessible because it's not like a it's not a smooth path it's but it is
like a hard surface but it's very bumpy due to the rough nature of the walkway i wouldn't
recommend doing this in flip-flops i'm sure the youngins can do it but
close toe tennis shoes or hiking boots would be best and as a reminder you will not have
the trail to yourself this is an extremely popular destination which is why they require
reservations it's nice that you can come here and know that you're going to get a parking spot
but there's going to be a lot of people on the trail going both ways up and down
it is super hot and we are very thankful for the ocean breeze
oh i can see the ocean over there
before the steps there's a turnout for a beautiful lookout
sure looks beautiful the ocean is the prettiest color when it's bright and sunny out
moment of truth going up these steps it's not an easy task
now you get a little tunnel break up halfway up the steps
i know you can't see me but this is a welcome retreat a long shaded tunnel with a gradual
incline thank the lord so once you go through the tunnel you can go up here
to even more higher spot but everyone recommends going to the left
so that's what we're gonna do because it's pretty tiring
all right we're staying dead
the summit of diamond head was built up for coastal defense of oahu fortification
began in 1908 here's a cross section showing the layout of these firing locations on the mountain
this construction was an engineering marvel at the time
diamond head was prepared to defend oahu but no artillery was ever fired during the war
there it is
oh dad mysterious goes
yes
yep there's somebody parachuting down there last set of steps
at least they give you enough breaks in between
noise in new south wales
with every moment of pain on the hike up here is totally worth it
hold your hat up in this area
okay guys well now we're headed back down the way we came thank you so much for joining
me today on our hike to diamond head hope thanks for watching hope you can subscribe