I stayed the night in San Jose and started up for Copernicus Peak somewhat early in the morning, i.e. after rush hour. Access up this peak is from Alum Park Drive, which can be accessed from Interstate-680 just north of its junction with US-101, or as I did, along city streets. Where Alum Park Drive starts to incline as it starts into the foothills, the Mt. Hamilton Road (CA-130) junctions to the south. This is a winding road that passes nearby some very pricey mansions for the first 8 miles or so. I unintentionally timed my drive so that I had the rising sun in my eyes, which made for some pretty tricky driving. Some parts of this road were very narrow, with no abutments or railings on the outside to guard against drivers going over the edge. The whole drive to the summit area is about 20 miles, much of it very curvy and I was lucky if I could go 30 mph for any distance; it took an hour to drive to the top. I did see a feral pig crossing the road.

The Mt. Hamilton Road ends at the James Lick Observatory, which is run by the University of California. Observatory domes are visible from about 10 miles away along the road. My main concern was the few drivers coming down, as they tended to drive right in the center of the road, straddling the yellow line. Fortunately, no accidents. The summit is topped by 3 or 4 observatory domes and a smattering of buildings including a one-room school for the local kids. Some homes are tucked away in these hills, probably housing for the astronomers. It's all University of California property, as the numerous signs posted everywhere reminded me. But as a University of California (Riverside) graduate, I felt I was among friends, or at least friendly buildings.

The actual highpoint is a small hill on the north side of the road called Copernicus Peak, which is situated east of the main complex of observatories. I parked my truck and started up this little hill. At first, it is a paved road but gated shut (although crossing the gate is easy and there are no restrictions against trespassing, just against soliciting). The road is somewhat steep. Soon, it degenerates into gravel, then ends, about 30 feet below the summit, which is marked by an old lookout tower. A good little trail makes the final portion to the very top. It is a very short hike, just about 3/8 of a mile one-way with about 200 feet of gain, but the views were very nice. Looking west I could see most of San Jose. Fog and haze limited my views any farther west, otherwise I might have been able to see San Francisco. Looking east I could see more hills. Apparently there are some homesteads in the area and some ranching as well. Looking north I could see Mt. Diablo. After a few minutes I descended to my truck and made the drive out. My only regret was that I timed my visit when the visitor's center at the Lick Observatories was closed, otherwise I would have stayed a while and looked at the displays. It's open from 1-5 in the day, not sure about weekends or hoolidays. It was now about 10 a.m., so Santa Cruz (Mt. McPherson) was next on my agenda, as well as a failed attempt at the San Mateo county highpoint, which is also described in the Santa Cruz write-up.