Mount Hamilton, California
Lick Observatory
February 2020
The historic Lick Observatory sits atop Mount Hamilton — a working research telescope built in 1888.
At 4,265 feet above the Santa Clara Valley, the Lick Observatory has been scanning the heavens since 1888. Still a working research facility operated by UC Santa Cruz, it was the first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory in the world. The drive up Mount Hamilton alone is worth it.