Santa Clara County High Point Trip Report
Copernicus Peak
Date: November, 1999
Author: Edward Earl
After contending with the private property issues of Long Ridge and Mount McPherson,
Copernicus Peak brought comparative relief.
A narrow sinuous road climbs to the Lick Observatory on nearby Mount Hamilton.
With my astronomical bent, I spent a while in the visitor center there.
(I would have come here even if it were not near a county HP; in fact,
I found myself partly wishing it were not a county HP so I wouldn't feel obligated
to take the time to climb it.) I parked at a pullout near the gate where a side road
climbs the 180' to the summit. I did that but, as usual, I then walked down the road
on the east side of the mountain (which affords a more expeditious elevation loss than
the west side where I had driven up) to get the requisite 1000' gain.