lick observatory

Driving up is challenging with great views. Go there and wait for beautiful sunset. Driving down also good for you can see the light up of San Jose City.

The drive from San Jose takes longer than you might expect but is worth it - as long as you're confidant on hairpin bends. The view over the valley is magnificent.I'm not sure how interesting the exhibits are because I'm not into astronomy. However, it is a quaint facility.Good afternoon out if looking for something low key.

I admit this is a very old favorite of mine. An astronomy nerd pal and I snuck up here in the 1950s and camped outside one of the telescope domes. They used to have Friday night star parties and I remember seeing a "huge" planet Saturn through the main 'scope. Mount Hamilton was a little community with its own post office and old-style telephone switchboard. The twisty road, California State Route 130 up there has not changed one iota. Today its a do-it-yourself observatory and most scholarly observing is done by internet connections to labs all around the world. Only UC grad students and maintenance people seem to be around. The museum and offices in the 36-inch (lens' width) refractor 'scope building are often open and you can sometimes look around a bit and ask questions. Contact some local astronomy clubs for more information and see the Lick Observatory website. Though quite old, the observatory still makes many landmark discoveries in deep space such as clues to the identity of Dark Matter and gravity lens imaging of some distant objects ever closer to what eventually will be ascertained as indications of The Big Bang, nearly 14 billion years ago. Fantastic landscape views abound in nearly any weather. A vast & remote Old California backcountry lies east of Lick that is barely known to the million folks down in Silicon Valley. On very clear winter days, with binoculars, you can see Half Dome in Yosemite from the Observatory grounds. But always: Be careful going up and back down the Mt Hamilton Road. Its a challenge!

A 365 turns winding and narrow road that followed a gradual grade laid out over a century ago for horses and carts (from Alum Rock) leads you to the historic and magnificent telescope of its time. Amazing transition of colors along the stretch of HWY130.

Our GPS took us up Quimby Road. It was a winding, harrowing drive. The trip up was definitely worth the drive as the Observatory was very interesting as was the tour and presentation. We drove down 130 which was a much better drive.

With the city so close, it is amazing the star and moon views one can get from the Lick Observatory area at Mount Hamilton. We have enjoyed visiting this facility and seeing the telescopes and hearing about the history and work of the observatorySometimes in winter, it is fun also to look up towards the observatory area and seeing snow. Yes, there is sometimes snow on the hills in the Bay area. Its so beautiful when we see that view.The road up to Mt. Hamilton is one that will challenge the nerves of most drivers. Its narrow; great views of the valley, and thus one gets close to the side of the hill cliff several times.Its worth doing the drive though at least once in one's life. We have enjoyed doing it.

The drive up to the observatory was very twisty/turny, and like a roller coaster. It takes like 45-60 minutes to go up the road with all the twists and turns. Once you get to Mount Hamilton, the view is amazing no matter what, but even more amazing if there is no smog. There are tours at regular intervals, and a gift shop for buying memorabilia. I've lived in the area for over 30 years, and I am glad I finally got to see it.

What is more exciting than a rollercoaster drive where the roads are narrow and the montain walls are so close that rocks falls down to the road and where the turns are 180 degrees with a 30 percent elevation? Prepare yourself for a fantastic drive both up and down to the extraordinary place and plan your trip so that you can do it in daylight. The drive will be something you will remember for the rest of your life but the destinatin is even more interesting and what I found was that the nature here is just so fantastic, the silence and the feeling of 100% satisfaction. The view is just wonderful and the history about this place is nothing but extraordinary and exciting. The huge (first bulding) was finished in the late 1880s and everything was transported using the road you will be using but with horse and carriage. 500 tons of material up that road without any trucks or cars, that must have been an adventure. The guided tour is really good and the guide talks about the history of the building and the fact that this telescope was the state of the art in 1880s and still is the biggest telescope with lenses. No entrance fee, easy to park with lots of space, not many people at all - just like a Sunday excursion should be.If you are interested in a view that spans the Bay, if you are intersted in Astronomy and if you are Interested in a really nice nature you should without a doubt go and visit the Lick Observatory.

We have long thought of visiting the observatory and finally did. The road is very curvy and narrow to get there, but a beauty drive. Once there, it is an amazing place of science and discovery. Wonderful old items with surprising new ones. I wish we had gone sooner, but we will return. The view from the top is well worth it. Pack a lunch, they have tables outside. There is a gift shop and free visitors' center, Tours are also free.

Check out this special place at which Nobel Prize winning science continues to be performed. The Summer Friday Night Visitors series is great fun -- take a picnic and go early (allow time to take the windy 18 mile road slowly and watch out for bicyclists) -- the views from Mt Hamilton are stupendous. You will learn about the history of the Observatory and some astronomy and look through the telescopes. It is awe-inspiring. The University of California has reversed its decision to close Lick Observatory, but efforts are underway to find alternative funding to continue the scientific research and educational missions it has served for 126 years. Go to http://www.ucolick.org/SaveLick/what_is_lick.html to find out more about the Observatory and how you can help save Lick.

I like this place. Its a great place to visit and you can learn a lot information about history of the place, stars and planets. My friend and I was there this morning, because a day before was raining in San Jose, but its was snowing at Lick Observatory place. the view were superb with the snow. i highly recommend to take some time to visit this place. The place is open from public.

Nice view of San Jose from the summit of Mt Hamilton. Body of James Lick is buried under the telescope.

The drive up and down are quite extraordinary and I have done quite a bit of mountain driving in my life, in many different countries. I put my automatic in low and high gear for some of the hairpins at 20 degrees, especially on Quimby, which is the route you take out of San Jose, before it joins the California 130. To note, our GPS did not take us all the way to the top or even the right direction upon joining the 130, so make sure you know where to go before starting off. There are many great views both up and down, although we drove on a June afternoon and there was a heavy "smog" over San Jose and the Silicon Valley. We could not see to the Pacific or up as far as San Francisco. There are a couple of parks on the way up with Trailheads for walking and also some wildlife sightings to be had. We saw vultures, hawks, some little deer and squirrels. The telescopes and observatory are interesting for adults and science geek kids, but there is nothing "hands-on". It's really an old fashioned look and learn location, with a museum area in one location and the large telescope a few hundred feet up the road (you park at the roadside and than walk a few hundred yards to the large telescope). Most of the information is given in the form of short videos, a film, some photos and if you are lucky a guided tour (we weren't lucky). Nevertheless, this is a remarkable historic location - the 5th Jupiter moon was first discovered here - and overall it is worth the trip if you are looking for something different and have exhausted the main tourist sights. The other thing to point out is that this is virtually the only "attraction" on the east side of San Jose, so it is simply to get to see the " dry" hills and mountains and see how their vegetation differs markedly from the redwood forests on the west side of San Jose.

Well worth the drive up the very beautiful mountain and valleys. Free to get in and see the telescope built 125 years ago. Great views too of skyline of San Francisco and bridges!!

The whole observatory was a work of love. Getting the equipment and reasources to the top of Mt Hamilton in the early 1900's was quite the ordeal. From up there, you see the valley before you, but generally air conditions make it less than you might hope for. Also, traffic up to the top can be pretty tough with the steep turns and narrow roads. Once there, parking is an issue on busy days. If you get past that and can tour the facility, it is really nice to se the dedication to sciences and the contributions of many American visionaries.