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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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