Many people, who visit Oahu, Honolulu, and/or Waikiki, make the trek to the grandiose Diamond Head crater to watch the sun rise from the immense Pacific Ocean east of Oahu. Climbers scale Diamond Head anytime, but it is probably best at about 6 a.m. (eluding the heat of the middle of the day). The drive is about 10-minutes up the hill and through a tunnel to Diamond Head Park, which rests inside the vast crater. The circumference of the crater is 1,072 meters and it is 230 meters high. Get ready to climb though as there is a reported 170 stairs.
There are wonderful views down to the Diamond Head lighthouse, built in 1899, and you will see surfers who are riding the perfect waves that roll in from the south toward the condos of Waikiki. Once you’ve reached the top of the crater, there are signs explaining the history; which was formed by a massive eruption some 150,000 years ago. Additionally, there is information about the trail, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for defense purposes in 1908.
