Lick Observatory

Lick Observatory, at the peak of Mount Hamilton, is in California.

Understand
Lick Observatory is an observatory and small community near the top of Mount Hamilton, a 4,000-foot mountain several miles from the city of San Jose. The main observatory building is open to the public, and visitors can take a tour of the main observatory or do a self-guided tour of the community.

Get in
Getting to Lick Observatory is definitely possible, but it is difficult. The main road, CA-130 (Mount Hamilton Road), gets extremely twisty and steep near the top. The road is also very narrow, and has two lanes but no bicycle lane.

Mines Road goes south from Livermore. However, the road is one lane much of the way, and includes numerous mountain passes.

Del Puerto Canyon Road goes from the central valley, and merges with Mines Road into San Antonio Valley Road several miles from Mount Hamilton.

Get around
Lick Observatory is all within walking distance of Mount Hamilton. The far end of the Observatory region, on Mount Copernicus, is still less than a mile away.

Do




Eat and drink
It's best to bring your own food if you're going to the mountain. However, there are some restaurants around the mountain.



Sleep
Although people live at Lick Observatory, there are no hotels. There are, however, several hotels in the fairly close city of San Jose. There is also a camping site at the Joseph D. Grant Park, which is close to Mount Hamilton.

Go next

 * San Jose - major city to the west of Mount Hamilton
 * Del Valle Regional Park - parkland to the north of Mount Hamilton
 * Henry W. Coe State Park - large state park to the south of Mount Hamilton
 * Joseph D. Grant County Park - large county park to the west of Mount Hamilton