Mount Hamilton in addition to its Copernicus Peak being the highest mountain in the Bay Area has also been home to Lick Observatory since 1888, a time when San Jose had about 18,000 residents amongst the orchards and farm lands. Since 1888, the 2 original North and South Domes have (per Wikipedia) been joined by 5 more Domes: Shane Dome, Crossley Dome, 24-Inch Dome, Tauchmann Dome, Double Astrograph Dome. Of course, the excellent views from the location do not required any domes -- just some descent weather.
ALERT: This cache is ONLY available when the main parking lot is open betweeen 8am and 5pm. You can drive right to GZ. The terrain rating is based on arriving in a motor-powered vehicle. If you come by bike, you'll earn a lot higher terrain rating.
Check out Lick Observatory Visitor Center for current visitor information.
Check out HAMCAMS for current weather conditions. Bonus points if you can capture a webcam image from APFCAM.
Logging requirements:
1) Visit the site (doh!).
2) Upload a photo of you, part of you (face not required), or a personal item with the "The North Dome: From . . . " sign near the posted coords (image below) in the background.
3) And, hopefully enjoy your visit.
Sign to include in your posted photo.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.