Hiking Diamond Head Crater with Kids in Hawaii

Hiking Diamond Head crater with kids is not only fun but totally doable! We had so much on fun on this family-friendly trail in Hawaii.

In most of our trips, we try to spend time in nature and find some fun trails to hike. So, of course, we also do that when ever we are in Hawaii as well. We reserved one day to conquer Diamond Head in Oahu, which is the island’s most famous crater. At the same time, it is the most popular hiking trail in Oahu and the city of Honolulu.

We love the landscape in Hawaii as it is so versatile. There are lush rainforests, rugged lava fields and turqoise water. We have seen all of that on every trip we have done to the islands. It is one of our favourite vacation spots!

Diamond Head State Monument is located only about a fifteen-minute drive from Waikiki, the busiest hotel area in Honolulu. It is easy to get there by bus, rental car, or, like us, by Uber. Bus number 23 leaves regularly from Kuhio Avenue. Also, the Waikiki Trolley takes people all the way to the front of the park.

What is Diamond Head Crater?

Diamond Head is a dormant volcano crater on the island of Oahu. The eruption happened about 2.6 million years ago at the Koʻolau Range, and it left behind this tuff cone. Craters are typically shaped like a bowl or a funnel, and their central part has sunken. It is the vent from which the eruption occurred.

You can see the shape of the Diamond Head crater from the picture I managed to snap from the airplane.

Hawaiians call the crater by the name “Lēʻahi,” which means the “brow of the tuna.” It likely comes from the ridgeline of the crater and its shape. When viewed from a distance, it resembles the dorsal fin of a tuna fish.

For the locals, Diamond Head has always been a sacred place. There has been several heiaus, Hawaiian temples, and some altars in the crater. One of the temples was so called ”luakini heiau”, a temple of human sacrifice. Unfortunately, there is no heiaus or even their ruins left anymore at Diamond Head.

The name Diamond Head was given to the crater later, in the 19th century. British soldiers found some calcite crystals on the nearby beach and mistook them for diamonds. These crystals were beautiful and sparkled in the sun, but in reality, they were worthless.

The U.S. government purchased the crater for military use in 1905. For defense purposes, the military built batteries and tunnels. Many of them still exist, and you can see them on the trail up to the crater.

Diamond Head Trail

Diamond Head Trail is relatively easy, although it is uphill and includes some steps. But you won’t be able to get lost as there is only one trail, and there are always people on it. At times, we even had to stop to give way to people coming down from the crater. And sometimes we got stuck behind slower hikers as the trail was very narrow.

The trail is about 1.6 miles in total, so it takes about two hours to climb up and come down. With kids, hiking can, of course, be a little slower, and you will probably make a couple of stops along the way to take some photos.

This trail is not really suitable for strollers but is doable with a carrier. Our 5 and 10-year-old kids did well on this trail, and they had no trouble getting all the way up.

Our kids loved going through the dark tunnel and visiting the World War II bunker at the top. There seemed to be more tunnels in the bunker, but we decided to head back down.

At the end of the trail, you can decide whether you want to climb up 99 steps to the second viewpoint or walk there on a trail. I would recommend skipping the stairs either on your way up or down since the viewpoints along the trail offer some beautiful scenery.

From the second viewpoint, there are still 54 stairs all the way to the top.

Up at the crater, you will be greeted by an amazing view of the ocean and Honolulu. I think that the views from the second lookout were as beautiful as from the top.

From there, you will be able to see the Makapuu Lighthouse, and the water down there looks just amazing! If the weather is clear, you might even see the island of Molokai.

For this hike, you should bring some sunscreen, a hat, and some water. Even on a cooler day, the sun can still burn you.

The trail is mostly paved, but it is quite rugged. Wearing good shoes will make it easier for you to climb up. At times, there were also some loose rocks on the trail. We were wondering how slippery the trail gets during the rain since it was mostly on rocks. During our visit to Oahu, we experienced small showers every day.

Many people recommend doing the trail early in the morning when it is not too hot yet, but we looked at the weather forecast and chose a cloudy day, and it was perfect!

To hike the Diamond Head crater, you will need a reservation. You can make one by clicking on the info box below.

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There is so much to do in Oahu and we really loved going around the island. But the Diamond Head hike was one of the things we all enjoyed. And we went to a lot of interesting places like Pearl Harbor, a Hula Show and a Turtle Beach.

Our kids had fun running around on the trails and trying to spot different birds in trees. Here are our tips how to make hiking with kids succesful and fun.

We are always excited to see volcanoes or their craters. One of the most memorable hikes we have had was on our visit to Volcanoes National Park at Hawaii’s Big Island. Also Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona had similar craters.

Here are our tips for hiking with kids!

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Have you ever been hiking at a volcano or a crater?