Nothing scientific about this guess, but most people in the Santa Clara Valley have probably seen the white buildings that dot the highest peak just east of San Jose. Fewer people may know that the big building is the Lick Observatory visitor center and home of Lick Refractor that was once the largest refracting telescope in the world!

Although it doesn’t look too far away (as the crow flies), it’s about a 20 mile drive from downtown San Jose along a curvy and hilly road. If you’ve never been there, it’s worth visiting for a leisurely Sunday drive and a picnic or two (a lost art form as far as I’m concerned). The drive will take you through Santa Clara County’s largest park, Joseph D. Grant Ranch Park. I always try to do a quick hike around Halls Valley Lake since it’s a good opportunity to quickly enjoy the outdoors before getting back into the car. You can get to the lake by continuing past the main park entrance on the right. On the left, you’ll see a small parking lot, drive in and park (free). If you’ve never been there, be sure to take a map from the kiosk. The map will help you find other areas of interest in the park while driving to the observatory.

I take my son to the lake fairly regularly — he enjoys seeing a little nature. On our last excursion, we saw teams flying turkey vultures, a couple of turkey vultures at feeding time, swimming snakes, frog eggs and a handful of deer. Other than the swimming snakes, my son was really excited when I pointed out some droppings and asked him to figure out what the animal that left it ate. He was pretty captivated by it’s contents, I have to admit, so was I.

Once at the observatory, it’s all self guided. There’s a gift shop as well as a vending machine for refreshments, and quite a few exhibits to take in. At the end of the hall is a seismograph, as well as a few other seismic recorders. The friendly folks in the gift shop give a quick tour and presentation of the refractor that’s quite informative and full of history. Don’t miss the statues at the main entrance. There’s information on both the observatory’s namesake, as well as an interesting story on how the name Mt. Hamilton came about. Also, be sure to visit the Shane Refractor not too far from the visitor center.

To get there, you can take Alum Rock Avenue to Mt. Hamilton Road and follow the signs. Alternately, you can also follow Quimby Road into the East Foothills — it will lead to Mt. Hamilton Road as well. Be sure to fuel up and grab some picnic food, there’s no gas or food services remotely close to the observatory. Gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants can be found close to Eastridge Mall, as well as a few miles south of Quimby Rd. at the intersection of White Rd and Aborn Rd.
Beyond Lick Observatory, that’s another post… stay tuned!

Visiting hours are:
Mon - Fri: 12:30pm - 5:00pm
Sat - Sun: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

http://www.ucolick.org/public/visitors.html

Related posts:

1. Lick Observatory’s Hamcams
2. Farmers’ Market @ James Lick High School
3. Japanese Friendship Garden
4. San Jose: The Lick Fire
5. Jupiter’s Himalia and Elara