UCO/Lick Observatory Review

A place out of the ordinary, surrounded by nature and outside the city, certainly a place to enjoy with the family, I like it better when it is snowy

Lick observatory is a great place for science and nature lover both. The information shared during the talk session which happens every one hour was quite helpful. I believe it will help people to inculcate scientific and astronomic interest.

Such a wonderful place. The drive to there is so nice (if you like narrow winding roads). Their summer concerts with telescope viewings are awesome. Nighttime views of Silicon Valley down below are stunning.
Also in the daytime it's worth a visit for the views alone.

An amazing stop along a treacherous road with plenty of interesting history and architecture to check out.

One of the best views in San Jose. Beautiful place to visit.

Great place to visit and learn a lot about history.

A long trip, 1h, from San Jose in a road not recommended for motion sickness sensible persons. You have access to two telescope domes for free. Nice gift shop and remarcable views to Sierra Nevada and the valley. Any tour should stop by this place.

Bicycling up Mount Hamilton from San Jose is one of the classic Silicon Valley bike rides

It was excellent!! Their astronomers and staff did everything possible to make our visit superb! I especially compliment Dr. Elinor Gates and her staff of Telescope Operators to ensure that we saw extreme closeups of the Moon (2 km limits) in the historic 36" refractor and Jupiter's Red Spot in the 40" reflector. It was a VERY special evening!!!!

I really enjoyed the drive up and the views are good

Amazing motorcycle ride till the top. This comes under Mt Hamilton loop of 100 miles. The observatory itself is beautiful. You will get profound information there on the research the observatory is used for.

Awesome views, it's worth the drive. Mount Hamilton is beautiful.

This is a gorgeous little spot and a fun historical/scientific find. Parking can be tricky, but it is worth the drive. Views of sunset are stunning and the astronomers working the telescopes are so helpful. The story of James Lick is intriguing, and the telescopes are such a treat to use. Often the amateur folks set up smaller scopes in the courtyard outside. There are multiple telescopes housed across the mountains as part of the UCal research.

What a cool place! The 36 inch telescope was an awe inspiring thing of beauty. The large modern telescope was cool and was interesting to see the differences between modern and antique scopes. The drive was fun, but watch out for crazy drivers and riders that don't know how to handle the switchbacks.

Went here to see a meteor shower recently. However was disappointed to see that quite a few people use this as a hangout location at late night, although nothing worrisome as such. The sky wasn't too dark either as the light pollution from Bay area is quite apparent.

Amazing, historic Observatory. The views are incredible, the history education and tours are worth the winding drive to the top of the mountain.

Fascinating place and cool history (also a place to see snow in the Bay Area on occasion) but be ready to be hassled by the guards, UC people, whatever they are (the ones in the white trucks) about where you can and cannot go etc. It seems that this place is only very reluctantly open to the public. Unclear signage, not the nicest staff and an overall inhospitable vibe toward visitors all seem to attest to this. Shame, really.

We met the San Jose Indian Motorcycle Riders Group here for a tour and really enjoyed the facilities, the history, the science, the spring water, and wish to thank Joe for taking time to give us all a decent behind-the-scenes look at this fantastic place. All Californians should make a point to visit here and see some great usage of our tax dollars.

San Jose residents should visit to get a better understanding of their hometown's history and significance

The road to the Lick observatory has many twists and turns. if you haven t been there before, you should leave some time for driving.

Lick Observatory gave me an excellent experience for astronomy and stargazing - I joined Public Evening Tours at Lick Observatory event.

The astronomers guided us to visit Visitor Center, given lectures for telescopes structures, history and functions. After seeing around tool setting and different buildings, they delivered a short history lecture of Lick Observatory, with some hot chocolate and tea - that s lovely!

In the final round, they showed all participants the amazing amounts of stars in the thousands miles away dark sky through a huge, historical telescope, may over hundred years, the stars looked so surreal close.

Great place for chilling, sunset and gaining some knowledge, will visit again for sure!

This place is mecca for space enthusiast. The tour was very informative and they have the best people to answer anything you came across in here.

Besides the drive from San Jose to observatory is really beautiful. Lots of cyclist and roads are narrow, so be careful.

This place is fantastic the trip going up will be forever remembered for the number of twists, turns and for being inches away from falling into barrier less cliffs, ahh the joy!!

But if you make it all the way up there the history and views are incredible.

Great piece of local and world history. It's s well maintained clean facility. There is limited parking and the drive is curvy, with the possibly of ice and snow in the winter. The views are great.

Quite possibly the most significant observatory that a commentator an ever add a good word in the form of a review. The reason I say this is because of the Lick Observatory namesake as it relates to what theologians and linguistic annalists alike refer to as the (VI) sixth station of the cross. Now I'm not gonna get all holy on you but it's true that the successive incidents of these sacred stations are actually an astronomical calculator, engravings on "Rock" a KEY word as our first Pope is of the namesake Peter and this name in Greek does mean rock.

This spot is well worth the drive (which is certainly not for the faint-hearted). Easy to spend a couple of hours here with interesting exhibits and tours, opportunities for a good walk and fantastic views of the South Bay area. The store prices are reasonable and it sounds like all profits go into keeping the facility open to the public and free to visit.

Historcal Telescope and landmark. Great view of Silicon Valley and San Jose Area. 20 mile bicycle ride from San Jose.

I use to come here with my friends to film for a video contest we entered. We got first place, but the thing I could never take back was the fun we always had up there. Beautiful scenery and quiet usually. This place holds a special part of my heart and will forever be the go-to for memory lane.

It is a very interesting place to visit. Very beautiful architecture and good infrastructure.

Really beautiful site... Must visit and see the beautiful overview of the city from there..

This place may boast the best view on the bay area indeed.

I hoped I will never be bored of this awesome place....the history of how it came about and the stories is full and rich all in itself... hint...a tragic love story enough for a movie!!

The food is always fresh and tasty, employees gives great service. I really like the cleanliness and atmosphere. I highly recommend this place.

Nice location with an outstanding view over san jose. Nice drive but be careful!

Very cool place! Warning, the route up/back is very curvy and kinda harrowing to drive. Check the weather before you head up there.

I love coming up here to meditate, the vibe is unreal, its very nice to get away and only an hour away from the bustle

Kind of a crazy drive to get up here, but they have free tours. Nice views if the weather is clear. If you're driving, watch out for the bicyclists. It's a popular biking route since there is a free bathroom in the observatory.

Stunning views. The visitors center is a little on the boring side. But the roads up are amazingly twisty, and the views are stunning!

The view is great and there are interesting showcases/exhibits

Super
I went at night and it's very cold the view is spectacular
The stars look closer to grasp them by hand

This observatory is literally next to the San Jose. Road to the observatory is very scenic. It's very windy, so it's better to take precautions if you get motion sickness. It is state-of-the-art observatory. People on observatory are very friendly and very enthusiastic to tell history/information about the observatory. They have tours open to public over Thursday to Sunday which are free of cost.

Went for Music of the Spheres. Great music, and fascinating talk by a NASA doctor about the Kepler Space Telescope. Then I got to look through the 36" and 40" telescopes, and see Mars.
I would go again in a heartbeat, and will definitely be getting tickets for next summer.

The observatory is located on top of Mt. Hamilton with amazing view of the valley. This place is visible from South Bay but not many people come up here due to the challenging drive. Be sure to visit during the summer series in the evening to view the night sky through the telescopes.

This place is awesome!! The views are fantastic and the observatory is a neat view into the past.

Beautiful and fun drive up the hill. Views from the top are great. Tour of the telescope is excellent. Would love to book a slot to use telescope. They also have a nice souvenir shop. They have a vending machine for water and snacks. Decent parking.

Oldy but goody. Planet hunters work here. Well, their computers do. Fancy low temperature spectrometer. Wonderful public service at low cost due to the cleverly scientists and engineers. Makes me proud to be human.

Best climb in bay area on bike. Though things can get pretty rough when it's cold.

Very far drive but completely worth it for the view. Drive carefully very technical road

I love this place.... Heading that way today for my second time

The history and human fortitude to build the world's largest telescope of it's time are on display. Open only Thursday to Sunday. 12-5 pm Inside: Tours of the 36" at 12:30, 1:30,2:30,3:30 and 4:30. Gallery of photos from the archives. Clean bathrooms. Outside: Sweeping views of the Bay Area. On a clear day you can see the Bay. The ride up is scenic. Use the I-130 route instead of Quimby Road, as the road has a more gradual gradient.

The Lick Observatory is the highest point in the Bay Area. It is a pity that it is closed during the epidemic and can only be visited again later.

An excellent place....
Especially in winter, is almost magical

I love Observatorys. Historical telescope and beautiful buildings. Nice Gift shop.

Came all the way from Miami, Florida and it was 1000% worth it. I rented a 4X4 Dodge Ram just to be safe. I went up three times, each was just as fun. Don't forget to visit the smaller telescope and check out the abandoned house from the late 1800's.

Great place to make great photos, just be careful on the road because There's a lot of sane. Always go prepared because there is wind and the weather is very cold. Now because of the pandemic it is closed but you can be in the mini parking that is on the street and walk for a while.

Interesting history and fantastic views of the bay area. Astronomy fans will definitely enjoy this place, but kids might not as there isn't much to do. For adults, I'd recommend the telescope tour that happens every hour or so. There's also a small gift shop with some interesting items. To get here you need to drive on a long and windy road, so keep that in mind if you have family members who are prone to car sickness.

Definitely worth a visit if you have some curiosity about space & how people explored the space in early days! One can surely amazed by history and one man ambition (& $$$$$$$$$) to turn this mountain into great observatory! Summer time events are good for kids where you can actually get to see celestial objects thru those huge telescopes. But winters you can find a snow up here! & if you are just looking for some adventure drive then be ready to take those hairpin 360 bends all the way up! All in all, definitely recommended place if you are in Bay Area!

Awesome drive up to Lick Mill. Excellent for people who love long, curvy, windy, narrow roads.

Amazing experience I love my bike ride up to Lick observatory

Absolutely magical and romantic place. I wish they found one day money to repair the telescope deck. It will be very sad if Bay Area will loose this spot.

Great history. The drive is less nauseating of you take San Antonio ballet road

This place here....Getting to it is the most fun. All the roads going to James Lick Observatory (two sides) is fantastically fun. The amount of curve and tight upins with view of nature makes the ride all that better. Always be mindful of bicyclist and other vehicles when driving. When you finally reach the top you get an view over San jose....So beautiful. So many times I rode up here and shared many friends and family about this place. Very Nice.

Insane vision! And the ride up here is already a thing in itself! We recommend!!!

Was never able to catch night hours for planet observations... The place is spectacular by all means.
Big respect to folks who bike there!

Love this observatory. Good spot to spend the weekend.

You can get a good view of the city from the top - so make sure you pack your binoculars when you go up there.

They have a free tour of the old Lick telescope that arranged by the staff at the gift shop inside. The tours are at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 Thursday to Sunday. During the tour they take you up close to the telescope and have a story about it's history and also give you a chance to walk around the telescope. Then you can walk up to the Shane Observatory which is like a half a mile hike from here.

The road up to hills are windy and will be fun to drive up there.

The location is one main reason I'd highly rate this place. Love the scenic drive upto here. By itself the place is really nice, but you wouldn't need more than an hour or two to look around.

This is a hidden gem in the bay area. This is the world's first modern observatory and is perched on top of mount Hamilton. The free tour is great and the views from up top are amazing. Check out the souvenir shop for some cool stuff while you are here.

Great drive up here. But watch out for bikers.

The Observatory is open from 12 noon to 5pm but has limited parking. It is free to visit here. It has a gift shop and a coffee machine.
When it snows here, the observatory will be closed and there will be no parking anywhere so call and check before coming. Also, State park ranger might block the road going up when it snows even if Caltrans info says it is open.
The road is winding so drive carefully, note that bicyclist also use this road and if you have a fender-bender, police will take a while to show up if they ever respond.
If you see a spot to pull over to see the view when going up, take it because you will not get that chance when going down. There might be only 2 chances you could safely pull over and get a good view when going back west from the observatory.

a must visit spot, so beautiful and full of history

cutting edge research with a spectacularly long and prestigious history of contributions to our knowledge of astronomy and the universe

Open Thursday to Sunday for public. Nice drive around curves from San Jose. Staff do a good job I explaining about telescope. There is telescope show each hour from 12:30 till 4:30. Have good old photographs for display. Limited parking around observatory.

The rich history of this site and the enthusiasm of the staff make this place a must see. During the day you can wander around the site and take in the gorgeous views as well as learn about the Observatory. There is a short tour most days on the half hour. The 36" telescope is a marvel of engineering. The drive to the Observatory is NOT recommended for large vehicles. There are a lot of switchbacks, very narrow sections and blind curves. There are clean restrooms at the Observatory as well as a few snacks available via vending machines - if the gift shop is open you can purchase hot beverages as well.

Great cycling destination. Can get cold on the way down. Gift shop sells hot coffee/tea now!

Been there several times as a kid and love every minute of it. Beautiful views, and awesome work done there.

Breath taking views of the North, East, South, and West Bay Area landscape from on top of Mt. Hamilton.

Motorcycle clubs should plan more rides to the observatory. Beautiful mountain scenery, wild life, and much more is to be seen to and from, and during your visit to Lick Observatory.

The views here are awesome. The scary drive is well worth it

We biked up from Livermore so anywhere with cold Gatorade would get 5 starts. Great views from here though.

This is a great ride for cyclists. It takes 2-3 hours to get up here but the view is worth it. Bring change and small bills so you can use the vending machines to refuel. Restrooms are here as well.