Diamond Head Crater Hike

I went to Hawaii on vacation, and like every other tourist in Waikiki, I looked out my hotel window and saw this crater looming off in the distance. I researched and found a description of an interesting hike, so I thought I'd try it out. I walked from my hotel, it was less than a mile from the entrance. I heard it was better to hike in the early morning, so I was there at 6AM when they opened the gate to the tunnel leading into the crater. So were a whole bunch of tour buses and cars full of people. The initial hike in was a hot mess of hundreds of tourists scrambling for position, and the 80+ degree temperatures in addition to a whole lotta stairs made for a lot of gasping and sweating from all directions. After reaching the edge of the crater, the small area available for viewing was jam-packed with people jockeying for position, making it difficult to enjoy the view. But oh, what a view! Picture postcard pretty, I really enjoyed the view and there was no shortage of friendly people offering to take my picture with my phone. If you want a nice hike just for the sake of hiking, this is not for you. If you want to see a gorgeous view and don't mind the crowd or the stairs, then go for it. Get your picture, post it on Facebook and move on. As for me, I'm glad I went. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. If I ever go back to Waikiki I probably won't go back, since I have these lovely pictures to enjoy instead.