The hike to the summit Diamond Head crater from the trailhead is just under 1 mile (0.8 / 1.3 km) with an ascent of 560 ft or 171 m.
Although a large portion of the trail is paved the upper sections have steep staircases, tunnels and winding dirt paths. An entire round trip usually takes the average hiker just under 2 hours.
The existing trail to the summit of Diamond Head was built by the military in th early 1900's for coastal artillery defenses. Many strategic batteries were constructed along with a fire control station used to direct artillery. Although Oahu was throughly prepared for an attack no artillery was ever fired from that location.
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