Diamond Head Reservations

Out-of-state visitors need a reservation to enter Diamond Head State Monument. Book entry ($5 per person) and, if you are driving in, parking ($10 per vehicle) online at gostateparks.hawaii.gov/diamondhead up to 30 days ahead. Payment is by credit card only. Arrive within the first 30 minutes of your time slot or you may be turned away. Hawaii residents with a Hawaii ID enter free without a reservation.

Who Needs a Reservation

Every visitor who is not a Hawaii resident. That includes walk-ins and people dropped off by taxi or rideshare, not only drivers. Residents with a valid Hawaii driver's license or state ID are exempt from both the fee and the reservation. Out-of-state guests who come with a resident are not exempt and must book their own entry. Someone who lives in Hawaii but does not yet have a Hawaii-issued ID also needs a reservation.

Reservations have been required for non-residents since May 12, 2022, when Diamond Head became the third Hawaii state park to use them, after Hāʻena on Kauaʻi and Waiʻānapanapa on Maui.

What It Costs

• Entry, non-resident, age 4 and up: $5 per person
• Entry, age 3 and under: free
• Parking, non-resident vehicle: $10 per vehicle
• Hawaii residents with ID: free entry and parking

Payment is by credit card only. Everyone entering the park needs an entry ticket, including anyone who will wait at the bottom instead of hiking. There are no military discounts. Full fee details, including commercial vehicle rates, are on hours and fees.

How to Book

1. Go to gostateparks.hawaii.gov/diamondhead, the state's official reservation site.
2. Pick a date up to 30 days ahead and a time slot. The agency warns that busy times can sell out.
3. Buy entry tickets for everyone in your group, plus a parking reservation if you will drive into the crater.
4. Keep the confirmation. The system uses QR codes at the entrance in place of cash.

The last reservation slot is 4 p.m., and you must enter by 4:30 p.m. The earliest slot begins at 6 a.m., when the park opens.

Your Time Slot

Arrive within the first 30 minutes of your reservation period. Later than that, you may be refused entry or parking, with no refund. If you booked parking, you must drive out by the end time of your parking reservation, because the crater lot is small and later slots need the spaces. Walk-in and drop-off visitors can stay until they finish, but everyone must be back through the tunnel by 6 p.m.

Changes, Cancellations and Refunds

• Refunds are allowed up to 3 days before your entry date. A $5 cancellation fee and service fees may apply.
• Changes can be made until midnight Hawaii time the day before, if space is open on the new date and time.
• Adding people: before your start time, you can buy extra entry tickets on the same site if space allows.
• Swapping people is fine, as long as you do not go over the number of entries on the ticket.
• Weather: there are no refunds for rain or other conditions, unless the park officially closes. When the park closed for storms in 2026, the agency issued refunds automatically, minus nonrefundable service charges.

Tours and Commercial Groups

Tour companies and trolleys use a separate reservation portal for licensed (PUC) carriers. The agency warns that commercial operators caught using the visitor system may be banned for up to a year. If you booked a tour, check whether park entry is included. See tours.

If It Is Sold Out

Pick another time or another day. The agency designed the system to move hikers from the busy morning into the quieter afternoon slots. See getting there from Waikīkī if a parking slot is gone but entry is still open, since walk-in entry does not need a parking reservation.