Mount Lemmon

Mount Lemmon

View of the telescopes on the Mount Lemmon summit.

Catalina Highway climbing Mount Lemmon

The Catalina Highway is a favorite of motorcyclists

Mount Lemmon is in the Santa Catalina Mountains located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, AZ. It is 9,157 feet above sea-level, and receives approximately 180 inches of snow annually. Mount Lemmon was named in honor of Sarah Lemmon, wife of botanist John Gill Lemmon, who trekked to the top of the mountain with her husband in 1881.

A small town called Summerhaven is on the mountain, which includes many cabins only occupied part of the year. Much of this town was devastated by the Aspen Fire of 2003, and recovery is still taking place. It is near Ski Valley which is the southernmost ski destination in the continental United States.

It is the site of an observatory, which was formerly the site of a radar base of the Air Defense Command, and the building that formerly housed a military emergency radar tracking station for landing the Space Shuttle at White Sands Missile Range. Although the United States Military had a presence on the mountain for several decades all their facilities have been abandoned. The telescopes on the mountain are still used for astronomical research today by organizations such as the Catalina Sky Survey, although the most frequent users are participants in the University of Arizona Astronomy Camp program.

The location 'Windy Point' was built by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, using a large number of prisoners over a period of 18 years.

There is also an isolated population of American Red Squirrels on the mountain, which have been the focus of a number of environmental concerns, and have restricted development.

The Catalina Highway goes from the east side of Tucson up to Summerhaven, at the top of Mt. Lemmon. The beautiful, curving road is a favorite drive for tourists, for locals escaping summer's heat, for motorcyclists, and cyclists. The highway has been improved recently, but the speed limit has also been lowered to 35 MPH (56 km/h) due to concerns about the highway's safety during peak traffic times.

Mount Lemmon Ski Valley

The ski season on Mount Lemmon can occur anytime between mid-December and April. The weather is usually mild enough to ski in a sweater, with temperatures ranging from 20 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Skiing area: 70 acres
• Base elevation: 8,270 feet above sea-level
• Summit elevation: 9,010 feet
• Vertical drop: 740 feet
• Total runs: 18
• Terrain: 20 percent advanced, 50 percent intermediate, 30 percent beginner
• Lifts: 2 double chairlifts, 1 surface lift

External links

• Private Mt. Lemmon website
• Computer generated summit panoramas North South index

• NOAA Mt. Lemmon Forecast
• Current Weather Conditions on Mt. Lemmon
• Information about the astronomical observatory
  
  

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