South Bay residents head to Mount Hamilton to take advantage of snow

Not all of the snow is in the Sierra Nevada as some Bay Area peaks got a dusting on Sunday.

Dozens of people headed to Mount Hamilton on Sunday to play in the snow near Lick Observatory.

Several inches of snow fell near Lick Observatory at an elevation of more than 4,000 feet. Which is why dozens drove more than an hour from San Jose to enjoy the snow.

San Jose resident Marlon Baretto told NBC Bay Area that he was planning to go to the beach but headed to Mount Hamilton instead. He said he was glad because this was his first encounter with the snow.

“It’s very cold but first time I'm seeing it. So, I'm happy for that,” he said. “It feels fantastic. I kind of want to eat it. Make an ice cream out of it, it’s special.”

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Mariia Katachma lives in San Jose but she grew up with snow in Russia. She said seeing the snow reminded her of her childhood.

“It’s nice, nice memories, nice emotions. So, we made a snowman and it's great to experience the snow. So white and just something unusual,” she said.

Often when it snows, the road to Mount Hamilton is closed. But it was open on Sunday, allowing the new snow birds to seize the moment and pack up some large icy souvenirs.