New Kica Mic Overlook on Palomar

The Cleveland National Forest has installed a new overlook near the top of Palomar Mountain's East Grade Road.

The National Forest Service has added interpretive signs that provide interesting information on the view and the great attractions in the area.

The greatest attraction in the area, aside from nature itself, is none other than Palomar Observatory.

It was wet out when I stopped, so my photos don't do justice to the displays. Some of the astrophotos used in the display were processed by Davide De Martin of SkyFactory.org. He processed black and white pictures, taken with different color filters, from the Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey and turned them into wonderful color images. Be sure to check out his site for a close look at his fine work.

The Kica Mic Overlook offers a majestic vista of the lands south of Palomar Mountain. I didn't pick the best day to stop and visit. The cloud layer was about 100 feet above Palomar, but the view below was still quite impressive.

The next time you are driving on East Grade Road (aka S-7) be sure to stop and check out the view here and at the Henshaw Overlook a little further down the road (especially while it is still nice and green below).