Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California May 19, 2025

Drive up Mount Hamilton just east of San Jose, California, and immerse yourself in stunning views and rich history. The 19-mile Mount Hamilton Road is loved by cyclists and motorcyclists for its long climbs and sparse traffic. Built in 1875-76, the road was designed to transport materials to the Lick Observatory, the world"s first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory. On a clear day, you can see as far as Yosemite National Park or the Sierra Nevada from the 4,265-foot summit.

© Jeffrey Lewis/TANDEM Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

May 19, 2018At ease, it’s Armed Forces Day
May 19, 2019High trekking season in Upper Mustang
May 19, 2020Loud waters
May 19, 2021A path lain with petals
May 19, 2022Glass footbridge in Zhangjiajie, China
May 19, 2023Endangered Species Day
May 19, 2024Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 21, 2021Exploring the Pearl of the Atlantic
Mar 22, 2018Join us in celebrating World Water Day
Nov 24, 2023Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
Oct 3, 2019Love on ice
Nov 9, 2022European hedgehog in Sussex, England
Feb 13, 2026Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Laos and Thailand
Jan 10, 2018Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
Dec 22, 2022Galeries Lafayette, Paris
Feb 13, 2025Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, Australia
Aug 8, 2024Spotted owlet, Bangkok, Thailand
Sep 13, 2025Point Reyes National Seashore in California
Jan 22, 2018Bird’s-eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Jan 22, 2019Is this Minecraft headquarters?
Dec 2, 2019Wild and beautiful Alaska
Jan 28, 2022Short-eared owl
Jan 17, 2019A wassailing we go
Mar 20, 2021It s time for spring
Sep 2, 2018Row, row, row your gondola
Jan 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California
Oct 17, 2025Rock River Falls, Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Apr 6, 2021On the rebirth of the Olympic Games
Aug 25, 2023National Park Service anniversary
Feb 27, 2025International Polar Bear Day
Feb 1, 2025Black History Month
Dec 3, 2023Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Nov 8, 2020Languid life on the Lakes
May 30, 2018‘The memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever’
Dec 23, 2020Swimming into the season
Feb 23, 2019A view from the top
Mar 28, 2024Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China