The Diablo Range
The Black and white photo
above is part of a panorama taken from the Lick observatory on Mt. Hamilton in
1931. The view of the Sierras from Mt. Diablo is just about identical. The photo was taken on a glass astronomical photographic plate using an
infrared filter which penetrates the haze. The Color photo above is from a
similar direction/angle, but 110 miles closer to Half Dome. It is the world famous view from
the tunnel overlook across Yosemite Valley towards El. Capitan, Half Dome and
Bridal Veil falls.
A print of the
complete panorama of the top photo, with labeled Sierra Crest peaks along a 25
mile stretch in the southern half of Yosemite National Park can be purchased
from the observatory’s gift shop: For
information call 408-274-5061 between 12:30 and 5:00 PM, or e-mail
giftshop@ucolick.org
Mount Diablo
The lookout building and
observation deck on Mt. Diablo. The two floors below the observation deck
and tower are a visitor center with exhibits about the geology, natural and
human history of the mountain.
Mt. Diablo and Mt. Hamilton are good places to start your tour of lookout vistas – because their 4,000 foot elevations below the snow line make them accessible year round; And because their locations between the most populated San Francisco Bay and Sacramento areas of Northern California make them convenient to reach.
To the Northwest, Mt. Lassen, the southernmost peak in the Cascades volcanic chain is visible 181 miles away from Mt. Diablo. To the Southwest, Junipero Serra in the Big Sur area of the Pacific coast can be seen, 123 miles away from Mt. Diablo. To the east, across California’s great central valley, the Sierra Nevada mountain range peaks are visible from 100 to 200 miles distant. To the West, the cities of the San Francisco bay area and coastal range peaks such as Mt. Tamalpais lookout appear 30 to 100 miles away.
An excellent website with many photos of Mt. Tamalpais lookout and it’s views of the San Francisco bay area can be seen here: http://www.rntl.net/mttam.htm
During the summer, haze may limit visibility. Before driving to these lookout sites you can check out the clarity of the view on these two webcams: looking west 40 miles over San Jose, from this Mt. Hamilton webcam: http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/hamcam/hamcam1.html and looking west 20 miles from the Berkeley Hills to the Golden gate Bridge: http://sv.berkeley.edu/view/index.html.
The images from these webcams refresh every few minutes, and a movie of the changing vista throughout the day and night can be played from bars near the picture. Those websites also provide weather data from the mountaintop, particularly the wind and humidity, which affect visibility. The clearest visibility is when the dry northeast “Santana” winds blow in from the desert outback.
Mount Hamilton
Observatory domes to the east
of the Mt. Hamilton visitor center. In the upper left
corner of the photo is the fire lookout tower atop Copernicus peak, the highest
point on Mount Hamilton. There are astronomical exhibits and a gift shop in the
visitor center. Strange wildlife can sometimes be seen on the mountain: http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/hamcam/gallery/aprilFirsts/dragon.mpg
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Another excellent website with pictures of the Copernicus Peak fire lookout, and information on Mt. Hamilton, can be seen here: http://www.rntl.net/mthamiltonlookout.htm
Driving
directions:
Both
lookouts can be reached from Interstate 680, which runs south from Interstate 80
at Cordelia to San Jose. The final access roads to the peaks are 10-20 miles of
slow ( 20-25 MPH ), narrow, paved, winding roads, which are suitable for small
vehicles.
To reach Mt. Diablo, turn east off of I-680 in Walnut Creek at the Treat Blvd. exit to Oak Grove Rd. Turn south on Oak Grove Rd. and follow it through the suburbs to North Gate Rd. into Mt. Diablo State Park.
To reach
Mt. Hamilton, turn east off of I-680 in San Jose at the Alum Rock Avenue exit
through the suburbs, then south on Mt. Hamilton Rd. (California Rt. 130 ) to the
summit.