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All Antarctica McMurdo Station Observation Hill
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Observation Hill

The steep slope known as “Ob Hill” overlooks an Antarctic research station.

McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Ob Hill as seen from Hut Point Peninsula, with penguins.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
Memorial Cross and view of McMurdo Station.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
Plaque commemorating the Nuclear Plant.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
Ob Hill seen from Hut Ridge.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
More views from Ob Hill.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
Ob Hill from the sea ice.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
View from the Nuke Pad across the Ice Shelf to the Royal Society Mountains.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
Views of Mt. Erebus and Castle Rock from Ob Hill.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
The “Nuke Pad,” with the vehicle graveyard visible in the bottom right.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
Auroras over Ob Hill.   Michael Reinhardt (Atlas Obscura User)
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About

Observation Hill, more commonly known “Ob Hill,” is a rocky, 750-foot lava dome towering over McMurdo Station, an Antarctic research station.

The site, now a destination for climbers in search of expansive views, was once home to a nuclear power plant that ran from 1962 to 1972. An empty wooden platform is all that remains.

Ob Hill hosts several other curiosities, including a graveyard of dead vehicles waiting to be shipped off the continent; a live camera offering views of McMurdo Station; and a Memorial Cross at the summit commemorating the lives lost in a 1912 expedition to the South Pole led by explorer Robert Falcon Scott.

Related Tags

Natural Wonders Nuclear Volcanoes Memorials

Know Before You Go

There are two hikes on Ob Hill: One going directly to the summit and one looping around, with views of Scott Base to the east. On a clear day, Mt. Erebus can even be seen.

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Published

January 6, 2025

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