I have visited this point many times over the years. Public access to the actual observatory is somewhat limited but worth the effort. The drive from either San Diego or Losangeles metros can be a bit exciting for flatlanders. Be aware that visitor facilities on the mountain are limited. Also, because of the relatively high elevation and steep escarpment, winds can drop the temperature quickly. Even in summer bring long sleeves.
We drove from Oceanside, and even before we got to Mount Palomar Observatory, the visit proved worthwhile, given the stunning scenery on the way. The observatory itself is very interesting, given the story behind its construction. It's quite a long drive, but well it. I would recommend it to anyone.
The drive is beautiful, don't be in a hurry. Let others pass. Stop often and take in the scenery. Don't bother with pictures the vastness can't be captured.The observatory is beautiful. Yes I'm into telescopes but my wife is not. She really enjoyed the time we spent there. We are off season so didn't get a tour. Self guided books available. Information center is clean and very well organized. The information provided you can spend 15 minutes or an hour+ Drive back, again, take your time. Different sun angles and opposite of side of the road - awesome relaxing day. If,,, that is what you are looking for.
As an accomplished armchair astronomer, seeing the 200" reflector has long been on my bucket list. I was not disappointed! A reasonable drive (less than 90 minutes) from San Diego brought us to the beautiful site. The volunteers who led the tours were exceptional - knowledgeable, friendly and amusing. I would encourage anyone with any interest at all in astronomy to give this wonderful site a visit.
The closest i got to heaven! That giant tree was superbly wonderful! Bring jacket though cause it gets pretty chilly in the afternoon.
Many of our younger fiends do not know mount Palomar nor its observatory. When we were in primary school, we learned that the Palomar telescope was the largest in the world. It still is impressive. Beautiful location.
We were traveling from San Diego to Palm Springs and wanted to visit this along the way. We had checked the website so we were aware that there were no tours mid-week during the winter. Weather was great and there had been no snow so it was a beautiful winding drive up the mountain. Worth the trip itself. The observatory, visitor center and gift shop have limited hours so check the website ahead to avoid a surprise. The visitor center itself was small, but well done. It's worth taking the time to read and watch the displays. The majority being in video format on large wall mounted flat screen TV's. If you are the least bit interested in astronomy, you will enjoy it. A lot of significant firsts and discoveries happened here. There is a short self guided walk to the observatory itself. You climb a long and fairly steep set of stairs to a viewing area where you can see the telescope. There are some limited displays in the glass walled off visitor viewing area. They keep it cool, so dress appropriately. Very enjoyable side trip on our journey. Take the other road down towards Borrego Springs for an additional scenic drive.
The trip to the top of Palomar mountain will take you at least an hour from the base, but along the way you'll have several scenic look out opportunities that are breath-taking. Once as the top there is a very large parking lot to accommodate the folks going up there. Start at the "museum" and gift shop, which gives you an idea of how massive the scope is and what its capable of, then walk up to the telescope. We didn't take the tour that goes inside the telescope because we had the dog with us, but even he was able to walk into the observation deck and see inside. You kind of need to be a space-buff to know what you're looking at (and care) but for those folks this is a huge geek out opportunity. If you're not one of those, just enjoy how gorgeous it is on top of the mountain and that there is a paved path and clean bathroom at the top!
I am a physics teacher and decided to visit this famous telescope for my own sense of history and get photos for my students. However, the experience was so poorly designed that I really would not even advise my students to visit.The good parts are that visits are free, they are open every day and there is a small exhibit showing some of the uses and breakthroughs achieved with the telescopes at Palomar.The bad part is that it is difficult to see the telescope and impossible to take decent photos. The ironic part is that there is a section at the exhibit that explains light pollution and how it affects viewing from the telescope when trying to view a dark object with light in the background. However, that is exactly the way the visitor gallery is set up. The telesope is poorly lit but it is viewed from a well lit visitor gallery with glass in between. In a place where so much care is taken to ensure good observations it is a joke that they show such little care in setting up the visitor experience.
One of the best approach drives to an attraction on planet earth! Wonderful switch-back roads - amazing vistas along the way; particularly if you're on a motorbike.The observatory, itself, is interesting and spectacular to walk around. The gift shop is a little on the "light" side - with very few items for sale.*If you're trying to escape the heat of the valley, this is a perfect destination.* The general store on the road up to the observatory has more and better souvenirs