Mount Lemmon: Difference between revisions

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{{commons category|Mount Lemmon}}
{{commons category|Mount Lemmon}}
* {{cite gnis |id=30943 |name=Mount Lemmon}}
* {{cite gnis |id=30943 |name=Mount Lemmon}}
* {{cite summitpost |id=151231 |name=Mt. Lemmon}}
* [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?wfo=twc&zone=azz033&fire=azz148&county=azc019&dgtl=1&lat=32.439583333333&lon=-110.78125 NOAA Mt. Lemmon Forecast].
* [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?wfo=twc&zone=azz033&fire=azz148&county=azc019&dgtl=1&lat=32.439583333333&lon=-110.78125 NOAA Mt. Lemmon Forecast].
* [http://skycenter.arizona.edu/ Information about the year round public programs at the SkyCenter].
* [http://skycenter.arizona.edu/ Information about the year round public programs at the SkyCenter].

Revision as of 08:11, 7 February 2014

Mount Lemmon
Backside of Mount Lemmon
Highest point
Elevation9,159 ft (2,792 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence5,157 ft (1,572 m)[2]
ListingUltra
Geography
Mount Lemmon is located in Arizona
Mount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon
Location of Mount Lemmon in Arizona
LocationTucson, Pima County, Arizona. U.S.
RegionUS-AZ
Parent rangeSanta Catalina Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Mount Lemmon
Climbing
Easiest routeCatalina Highway

Mount Lemmon (O'odham: Babad Doʼag), with a summit elevation of 9,159 feet (2,792 m),[1] is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sarah Plummer Lemmon, who trekked to the top of the mountain with Native American guides by mule and foot in 1881.[3] It is reported that Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, on the mountain's northeastern side, receives 200 inches (508 cm) of snow annually.[4]

Summerhaven

Summerhaven is a small town near the top of the mountain. It is a summer residence for many but there are some year round residents. There are many small cabins most of which were rebuilt after the Aspen Fire of July 2003.[5]

Mount Lemmon Station Observatory

View of the telescopes on Mount Lemmon

At the peak is the Mount Lemmon Observatory, which was formerly the site of a USAF radar base of the Air Defense Command,[6] 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 and were given to the United States Forest Service. The area and buildings that makes up the Mount Lemmon Station Observatory are leased from the Forest Service by the University of Arizona. The telescopes on the mountain are still used for astronomical research today by organizations such as the Catalina Sky Survey, and The Mount Lemmon Sky Center, The University of Arizona Astronomy Camp program,[7] the University of Arizona, and the University of Minnesota. The educational resources at the top of the mountain make it a unique research and teaching destination.

Windy Point

The location 'Windy Point' was built by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, using a large number of prisoners over a period of 18 years, and is a popular place for outdoor weddings.[8]

Catalina Highway

Catalina Highway climbing Mount Lemmon

The Catalina Highway, also called the Mount Lemmon Highway, as well as the Hitchcock Highway (after Frank Harris Hitchcock) runs up the Santa Catalina Mountains 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 and cyclists, and has been recently designated as the Sky Island Parkway, part of the US National Scenic Byway system.[9]

The highway and other roads around the area were used for the first training camp for professional cycling Team Radioshack in December 2009. 2010 saw the inaugural running of the Mount Lemmon Marathon.[10]

Back side

View of Mt. Lemmon from Oracle, AZ

A dirt "access" road to the summit on the "back side" of Mount Lemmon starts in Oracle, which is on state highway 77 northeast of Tucson. It offers a secondary route to the top. This route is popular with off-road 4x4 drivers and with off-road or dual-purpose motorcyclists. This road ends at the Catalina Highway near Loma Linda. Before the Catalina Highway was built it was the only route up the mountain.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Catalina 2 Reset 2". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  2. ^ "Mount Lemmon, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  3. ^ "California Beat Hero: Sara Plummer Lemmon". CaliforniaBeat.org. May 27, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  4. ^ "Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley". SkiTown.com. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  5. ^ Faherty, John. "Town of Summerhaven back after devastating fire". AZ Central. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  6. ^ "Air Defense Radar Stations". Radomes Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  7. ^ http://www.astronomycamp.org
  8. ^ "Wedding locations". Marry Me in Tucson. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  9. ^ "Name change to Sky Island Parkway". Arizona Dept. of Transportation. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  10. ^ Lacey, Marc (October 17, 2010). "A Finish Line With a Real High: 8,000 Feet". New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  11. ^ "Backway to Mount Lemmon". Trails.com. Retrieved August 28, 2012.

External links