Mount Hamilton

I like it here. This place is beautiful. peaceful, and relaxing! The view is spectacular! Bring a warm jacket with you. It can be very windy sometimes.

Best place to stargaze! There’s little turnoffs on the sides of the roads that are perfect for looking at the view. Not a lot of cars pass by so it’s very peaceful and relaxing. The road is really windy so not good if you get carsick.

For my 50^th Review, I am reviewing a place very near a dear to my heart.
I drive up here often to just get away from it all. The road is treacherous, especially when you start getting closer to the summit up by the Lick Observatory. Once you get up there, it is totally worth it. At the peak, the air is so clean, and the view is spectacular!
The sunset are picture perfect. When the city lights come on, it is a wonderful man-​made marvel. You can see as far as Alviso– the bay to the north, and to the south, you can see all Evergreen, Communications-​Beacon Hill, and Morgan hill in the distance. The Santa Cruz Mountains straight ahead of you present themselves as the wall. It is all so amazing.
Overall; if you have the gas, and the are a good driver, a definite to do for anyone in California.

A bit of a harrowing drive depending on who you’re with. It can be long and arduous or quick and exhilarating. Once you get to the top however, you’ll have one of the best views of Silicon Valley below. Often times you’ll be over many of the cloud and fog layers coming in. I didn’t realize you could keep going onto the central valley, and one of the days Ill probably do it. Someone had mentioned an alternate route from Alum Rock which might be safer but I didnt think Quimby to 130 was all that bad. Next trip Ill plan for more time and see more of the area, but the pictures definitely speak for themselves.

For my 200^th review, somewhere near and dear to my heart.
Long, long ago, in a kingdom far away, lived the beautiful Princess Angie who lived with her mother and father, the king and queen, in a palace atop of a beautiful serene hill in San Jose… Mount Hamilton.
Angie was just as a princess should be; beautiful, clever, polite, a little cooler than most girls her age and maybe just a little stubborn (if she felt she wasn’t getting what she wanted), and there was one thing she wanted more than anything in the world… more than her 5 white horses… more than her 20 silk dresses … even more than her 50 pairs of hand-​made shoes…
Her prince.
I was brought upon this hill some months ago whilst being courted to meet the king and queen. The pressure was on, my v-​neck was pressed and my wing-​tips were shined. I nervously chuckled as I gazed out the window on the seemingly long ride up… winding around turns barely missing marathon training cyclists and bustling down dirt roads leaving a cloud of smoke in our rearview. Finally, we made it. The castle was guarded with the most aggressive toy poodle I had ever laid my eyes on. This said poodle, which I later found out went by the calling of Chewbacca, sniffed me out and granted me access. One can never say what took place once inside the kingdom, but it was magical. There was music, laughter, steak and rice platters, football and love filled the air.
There are a lot of magical places on earth… but like a lot of things, it is what you make of it. For some, Hawaii and Disneyland fits the bill and awe the hearts. But for I, Mount Hamilton has singlehandedly given me some of the best moments in my life. Now, the castle atop this hill, is no longer without its prince and the household is complete… and the princess has found her prince.
Do yourself a favor. Hop in your chariot, whip your horses and park along many of the lookout points over the beautiful south bay. Now, I can’t promise you the spark I felt, but the love that radiates in the air in unmistakable.
As the duke of Mount Hamilton, Princess Angie and I approve this message.

I have driven up many mountains in my lifetime and didn’t think this would be much different. Wrong. These roads are not safe.

As simply a resident of the city that bikes up and down Mt. Hamilton — I think it is awesome. The last time I biked to the top, I walked through the halls (cleats removed of course!) and there were some amazing photos on display of the Observatory throughout the years and the seasons. I didn’t get to see much beyond that but, still — really cool.
It can be a pretty treacherous road and I appreciate all the sensible drivers (and cyclists) out there — thank you!

First things first. If you are going to ascend to the top of Mount Hamilton and you’re going in on the San Jose side, go via Alum Rock and NOT Quimby. Oh. my. God. I thought for sure I was going to die. Narrow twisty twisty roads, a boyfriend who was driving AND watching the scenery at the same time and next to no barriers on the side of the road. There were times when I had my eyes closed but then I’d freak out about my boyfriend driving over the side of the mountain and open them. So yeah, go via Alum Rock.
Once you get to the top though, totally worth it. I’m no science buff but even I found the observatories interesting from a historical viewpoint. Those telescopes have been up there a LONG time. Since the late 1800’s. It’s all free and they have talks every 30 minutes. Interesting talks, even. There’s also a very cute gift shop AND someone was selling brownies /​coffee /​tea for $ 1.00 each as a fund raiser. And damn, those brownies were fantastic.
The views of course are magnificent. Don’t be an idiot and forget your camera like I did because once you get above the haze of the Valley you can get some amazing shots. I borrowed the b/f’s cell phone camera and was blown away by the colors.
But remember. Alum Rock.

Drive = curves. That is all I’m saying. Oh, and narrow at certain spots.
Cost = free. Free for observatory tour, free to walk around. What’s not free is probably your gas. ;-)
Tour guide = friendly, knowledgeable and makes you want to come back for more.
Snow and 31 degrees in the San Jose area = priceless.

Um, stunning? Breathtaking vistas of Silicon Valley. This gem is an awesome place to get away from the city and burbs and enjoy some real nature. I’ve been wanting to come up here for a while and this place is no joke. Eprops for driving up in a 400 hp v8. Vroooom.

Wow, I am only the 6^th review for this place?
It has been around forever, and is TOTALLY worth the drive up to check it out. It is the highest peak in the Bay Area, Higher than Mount Tam and Mount Diablo!!!
The drive up is SUPER WINDY! (GREAT motorcycle ride). You can access it from Livermore, go from San Jose, or do a complete loop!
I just did the whole loop with my fiancé riding two up on a SV650. Totally FUN! I would not recommend it for anyone with under 2 years motorcycle experience.
We went Hayward to Fremont (Got breakfast) to Mount Tam, then to Livermore, and back to Hayward. We left at 10am and got home at 2:30pm. I am not a slow rider either. we spent about 30min eating and another 30 minutes at the top of the mountain.
I need to do this at least once a year it is so fun! Watch for Debri and cow grates!

Drove up after the hike yesterday. Curious is more like it. This review is for more for the people that will want to go up there to experience Mt Hamilton when it’s covered in some snow. My actual hike review will follow soon!
Beautiful! It does look a lot different with about a foot of snow everywhere covering the observatory. The road was plowed but the sides was blanketed in snow.
Actually, it was snow everywhere. At 4,000 feet and so close to home it just feels surreal. I almost forgot where I was!
The climb up was definitely a tad hairy for most people! The road was very narrow and there was a bunch of brake stepping going on! That annoyed me the most!
The observatory was kept nicely clean, dry and warm inside. Outside was just covered in snow! I took a bunch of photos to show what was inside and a bunch outside as well.
If you’re going this weekend go early. We went around 3 something after the hike and there was a bunch of people and some real fighting for parking spots! Can you believe that?

Amazing views. A drive not for the faint of heart. And not somewhere you want to stop after the Observatory closes at 5, unless you want the resident Smokey telling you to get out, that is. Also not somewhere you want to pull over to one of the few places safe to stop on the road down to take pictures, because Smokey will most firmly tell you to beat it, citing a sign you probably didn’t see that said Emergency Parking Only.
Other than that, an absolutely beautiful place.

I drove by signs for this place everyday for a whole summer when I was working in the area, so it was always in the back of my mind. One night, my friend and I were looking to do some exploring and so we finally decided to acquaint ourselves with Mt. Hamilton, not knowing what to expect.
We started the drive up pretty late and definitely weren’t expecting a 45-​minute drive just to get to the top. There were many moments when we considered turning back, when the pitch black turns got trickier and our headlights revealed scatters of wild mice and boar. If you’re looking to drive up hwy 130, make sure your passengers aren’t prone to motion sickness (check the reviews on Lick Observatory to see what I mean).
Unfamiliar places are scary at night, and this was no exception. But then we’d hit a point in the mountain, where the lights of Silicon Valley lit up the sky, creating the illusion of what we called a «midnight sunset.» It was one of the most beautiful sights in all of the Bay Area.
Finally, we saw signs for Lick Observatory and we had an inkling that we were nearing the top. Since it was past midnight by the time we were up there, the place was obviously closed. We parked in front of the gates, lied down on top of the car, and realized that we were now far enough away from the lights of the valley that we could actually see the stars clearly.
Then we noticed that some of them were moving. «Wait, what’s today’s date?» I asked my friend. We had unknowingly stumbled upon the best stargazing site in the area, on the night of a meteor shower.
Truly an unforgettable experience. This place is no doubt a hidden gem at night, because we saw zero cars throughout our adventure. We will most definitely head back up, on purpose, for the next shower.

I rode up Mt. Hamilton for the first time yesterday. There were some beautiful views, especially from the Lick Observatory. However, most dismaying, is the amount of trash on that mountain. Even where they do have a trash can, about five miles from the start of the climb, it was overflowing and trash littered the ground and was being caught by the breeze. Then again, huge piles of discarded household goods met us on a turn and if you looked down, even more and more. As you continue to go up, there are frequent bottles and cans on the side of the road. It marred the beauty of that mountain. Is this a reflection of the people that live around there or of the poor park service I wonder.

Those of us who have grownup in San Jose have become accustomed to winter weeks when it gets just cold enough to leave the peak of Mt. Hamilton blanketed in white powdery snow. When the weather is like this Mt. Hamilton Rd. is generally closed to keep eager snow seekers at the foot of the mountain where they belong.
One such occasion we decided to walk to the top of Mt. Hamilton.
This is a story about, persistence, survival, the early time in a relationship and the rugged durability of Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers.
We park at Grant Ranch, orient ourselves and proceed to walk up the grassy hill. It is cold but not cloudy, the sun is out, it is late morning. We figure that the walk could be as much as 20 miles roundtrip but we don’t get bothered by the details.
We are walking and talking about random things, a walk like this is similar to a long car ride, we haven’t been going out long so many things are new. We see a small lizard on the side of the road, I pick it up, we take a picture. Few cars pass us as we wind up the gravel road, it doesn’t feel too steep because it is winding.
Hours pass, I complain about the flatness of my Converse, why did I wear these shoes? A small mail truck passes us, gives us each a Toostsie Pop, I believe they were both purple, we are the luckiest people in the world. When we see this mail truck again he will ask us if we would like a ride, we hesitate and decline, we have already come this far.
It has been maybe seven hours, the winter sky has darkened, we are lucky it has not rained, yet. We begin our descent. In truth, we never made it to the top, we were so close, maybe only a mile away and we turned around. It is getting late.
I hope I don’t have blisters, we begin walking faster because it has started raining, it is pouring on us and we are soaked. We can either keep walking on the paved road or we can cut through the fenced off field. We take the route less traveled. I hate mud, I am soaked and getting angry. It is slippery and my feet are soaked.
At some point we make it back to the car and it is a weird feeling, like we accomplished something when really we never even got to the top, we didn’t get to the gleaming white dome that is the Lick Observatory and the only snow we encountered were small piles on the side of the road.
We walked all day and now we have a story about the one time we attempted to walk to the top of Mt. Hamilton to see the snow.