Part 5 - Mount Lemmon

Part 5 - Mount Lemmon.

Warning: Not for drivers (or passengers) who are scared of heights.

Catalina Highway can be seen winding through the valley at the bottom of this picture and up the mountain on the top left. 

We had been recommended by friends to take a drive up to the top of Mt Lemmon in the Santa Catalina mountains. So we squeezed this in on one of my few free days, right before starting my new job. Mt Lemmon is best accessed via Catalina Highway, a 27 mile stretch of road that winds through the mountains up to the peak. There are many pull overs with scenic vistas, trail-head parking, and camping areas.


Mt Lemmon is named after Sara Allen Plummer-Lemmon, who in 1881, was the first white woman to make it to the peak.  It classified as a "Sky Island", which is defined as a isolated mountain surrounded by a drastically different lowland environment.  Tucson has several sky islands surrounding the city, which is why it is such a great destination for outdoor enthusiasts.


The coolest thing about this drive is the biological diversity you get to see. After leaving the Lower Sonoran Desert Zone at the bottom, you pass through the Upper Sonoran Desert Zone, and start to see the Saguaro cacti thin out. The next zone is the Transition Zone, and is characterized by Oak trees and Ponderosa Pines. The Canadian zone contains Fir Forests, and then you end up in an aspen forest at the top of the drive.

Starting from the bottom, the first vista point is the Babad Do'ag Vista. The vista isn't that impressive in the daytime, but it is very popular at night for its views of the Tucson city lights below.  Next up is the Molino Canyon Vista where seasonal water can sometimes be found in the canyon. Further up the road is the Molino Basin Campground, where the Arizona Nationa Scenic Trail crosses from Redington Pass, and up into the Catalinas.

The picture below is the Molino Canyon Overlook: A Shin Dagger Agave in the foreground, with Catalina Highway in the Background.

More Molino Canyon Vista.

A strange bit of history here, is the fact that prison labor was used to construct the Catalina Highway. In 1939, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons authorized the camp and it was expanded in 1940. The Japanese Americans interned at the 'Honor Camp' on Mt Lemmon were conscientious objectors to the war and were given a less strict captive environment than their peers.  The former site of the prison camp is now called Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area, it is just up the road from Molino Basin, and is named in honor of one of its outspoken prisoners.

Its almost like there is something from this shameful, xenophobic part of our past that we could learn from...Trump...we are looking at you. Here is a link which goes into more detail about that sad, but interesting part of our history. 

Website: The Gordon Hirabayashi Story

Somewhere near the 5000 ft elevation mark, you will come to the Thimble Peak Vista. We pulled over here by accident, not knowing how big of a landmark Thimble Peak is. We can see it from our RV park at Cactus Country.

Thimble Peak Vista...The small dome on the ridge-line behind Scott's head is Thimble Peak. 

In hindsight, we really should have taken more pictures, but the narrow road and steep drops had Jenny feeling kinda queasy. NO WAY was I trying to take pictures while driving here either.

Our next favorite vista point on the way up is EVERYONES favorite, and despite the many parking spots, its usually so busy that parking is difficult to impossible. The reason its so popular? The views. There is a long, flat, outcropping of rock that overlooks the Sabino Canyon area, and many people picnic out there or just get out of the car to play on the rocks.  Rock climbers are often seen practicing here. We have also seen rescue teams running drills and fake rescues.

A little farther up the road is the entrance for Rose Canyon Lake. There is an entry fee, so we kept driving. To my understanding it is a very nice lake for fishing and has a campground. Here is a  link to the U.S. Forest Service page for Rose Canyon Lake

Website: U.S. Forest Service, Rose Canyon Lake


Getting closer to the top of Mt Lemmon. The Loma Linda picnic area is probably the best one on the mountain. The views are incredible, and we actually did grill out up here once with friends from my job at the hospital.

Loma Linda picnic area. 

Just around the bend from Loma Linda, there is an intersection with the unpaved fire road that goes down the North slope to the town of Oracle. This is known as the back way up Mt Lemmon and requires a high clearance 4x4 vehicle. Staying on the paved road brings you to another intersection. Staying right leads you to the summit, and veering left will take you into the town of Summerhaven.

Summerhaven is a small cluster of houses and businesses near the summit of Mt Lemmon. The temperatures are generally 30 degrees cooler than the valley below, and it is a great place to hike or relax in the hot Summer months. You can AirBnB a cabin for the weekend up here. There is one restaurant in town called the Sawmill Run. We ate there once and the food was only OK. There is a general store to keep you from driving 27 miles down the mountain for beer. The jewel of Summerhaven tho has got to be the Cookie Cabin. Don't let the name fool you...they also sell delicious pizza by the slice. Here is their website if you need to plan your cookie/pizza order before your visit.

Website: Cookie Cabin on Mt Lemmon

Back on Catalina Highway, heading uphill, you will come to what looks like a ski-lift. Can you have a ski-slope this close to Mexico? Yes you can. Mt Lemmon is the Southernmost ski-slope in the U.S. There is another restaurant here, called the Iron Door...but the sheer amounts of people we run into every time we drive by, has kept us from ever trying to eat there. Climbing another bend, the highway passes the parking area for the top of the ski slope, and continues to the observatory and parking at the top.

(Below) About as close as you can get to the top of Mt Lemmon from the road. 

The top of the ski lift is right in front of us in this picture.

If you only do one thing while in Tucson on a short trip, we recommend taking the drive up to the top of Mt Lemmon.

Thanks for reading!

Here is a link to our previous article:

Part 4 - Desert Trails RV Park Review

Here is a link to our next article:

Part 6 - West Side

Part 4 - Desert Trails RV Park Review.

Part 4 - Desert Trails RV Park.

Desert Trails RV Park

3551 San Joaquin Rd

Tucson, AZ. 85735

(520) 883-8340

Website: Desert Trails RV Park

The first thing you should know about this place...they sure don't like to answer their phone. The message on the machine assured campers they would be able to get a spot if arriving before busy season in December. Their voicemail seemed to infer that they did not want to be bothered with any phone calls about off season bookings. Online, the park looked beautiful and was full of well-manicured landscaping. In real life, with no guide to your spot, the parks landscaping made it very difficult to maneuver large rigs through.

We found an open 50 amp spot that we could back the camper into, and we were happy to be home. 

Our home for two months. 

Pros: The best things about this park are the mountain views and the hiking trails that lead into Tucson Mountain Park.  The Tucson Mountains are right in your backyard but you also have great views of the Santa Ritas, the Santa Catalinas, and the Baboquivari Mountains. The trails here offer a true Sonoran Desert hiking experience with Saguaro Cactus, dry desert washes, and Palo Verde trees.  We really enjoyed the hikes and bike rides on the desert trails as well as the swimming pool and the billiards hall. Food truck visits twice a week and occasional concerts on site were also nice. We did meet a few good people who were traveling through the area and stayed in touch with some after we left.

Inca Kola from one of the food trucks

This was the view from the, "observation tower", which was just the rickety platform from one of the previous park's old water slides.

Luna hanging out on the viewing deck. 

Part of the old water park.

I thought this was a dog training area, turns out it was for mountain bikes. 

Cons: Worst things about the park...there were many...Here goes. All sites are not created equal, and ours was not big enough to park our tow vehicle on. Parking situations changed on the daily and we were constantly bothered by workers knocking on our door with instructions on where to move my truck that day. It came to a head on Christmas Eve when I came home from work and parked outside the camper on the roadside just long enough to change clothes and take Jenny out for dinner. Wasn't there ten minutes and staff was knocking on my door to tell me to move the truck.  Funny, since the office was closed...someone had a direct phone number to the owner...and we couldn't even get them to answer the phone to book a site.

 More Cons: Which leads me to the next problem with this RV park, the snow birds who were returning customers. They flock together like a high school clique and are not friendly to new-comers. In fact, the people across from us had enough room to park 10 cars and were outside on Christmas Eve watching as we left for dinner. I wonder who called the office on us?  The owner has terrible people skills, a snide British accent, and is rude to your face with no apology. Oh yeah, and his name is freakin' Pericles, so of course he is a douche. Final Thoughts: If you don't mind feeling like an outsider in your own home away from home, while you are spending good money to be there, this place would be a good choice for you. While this is a great location to explore the West side of town, it is very far from any amenities like grocery stores or other supplies.

Female snowbird species

Alpha male snowbird species

The last straw for us was when we were told by the office that we had to leave January 1st to clear out the site for more snowbirds who had somehow booked a site when the office never answers their phone. Another case of someone having a secret phone number to the owner? After all of the interruptions of our privacy and inconveniences with parking, we were totally ready to move on to greener desert pastures.

Fun Activity: Call this Limey (don't worry they wont answer anyway) and listen to the voicemail. Desert Trails RV Park: 520-883-8340

If you are reading our blog for the first time, here is a link to our first article. 

Act 1 - They Meet

Link to the previous article:

Part 3 - Starizona

Here is a link to the next article:

Part 5 - Mt Lemmon

Part 3 - Star-i-zona.

Part 3 - Star-i-zona.

Before we even reached the Eastern boundary of the Tucson city limits we began to see the Saguaro Cactus rising high above the desert floor with a backdrop of several mountain ranges that surround the city. After dodging impatient drivers all the way across town, we finally made it to our destination. Desert Trails RV Park on the West Side of Tucson. This place used to be a water park and here is a view from the top of what used to be a water slide.

Bugzy was happy to be out of the truck and back in his home on wheels.

Our new home bordered Tucson Mountain Park, and was accessible by several trails leaving our park.
We were brave enough to go explore the trails the first night, once it had cooled down. The stars were like nothing we had ever seen, and later on, we found out that Arizona had a pretty fitting nickname.
Star-i-zona!!!

There were some great things about this location. You can leave the park on your bike and ride through the Sonoran desert on miles of trails. The trails were marked by painted rocks that pointed you back to the RV parks and neighborhoods where the trails began.

Jenny was actually happy to have found a Tarantula out on the trails at Tucson Mountain Park. She didn't get too close to take this picture though.

We learned a lot about the local plants while we were here, thanks to several plaques marking the different species. Trees and shrubbery such as Paloverde, Creosote, Ironwood, and Mesquite had become familiar to us.

We also got to know the differences between Cholla, Staghorn, and Saguaro cacti as well as which parts were edible. Tucson mountain park was amazing, and we took lots of pictures.

I don't think this was a real grave, but who knows. 

Someone spent lots of time putting the rocks into this trippy spiral pattern. Was Jim Morrison here?

Here is a Scott imitating the many Saguaro that loomed over the desert trails.

One of our favorite places in Tucson Mountain park was the Ironwood Picnic area. You could reach it from the trails that left our RV park. It was named after the giant Ironwood tree that shaded the last of many picnic areas that edged up to the road through the park.

 Here is Luna enjoying some of that shade from her picnic table perch.

We took a drive through scenic Gates Pass the day before Scott's job started. Beautiful sunset views from up there.

The Sonoran Desert was an amazing place that we instantly fell in love with. The mountains surrounding the Tucson area were a beautiful backdrop, but we wanted to explore them further. Stay tuned for our review of Desert Trails RV Park and some of our mountain adventures.

If you just came across our blog, here is a link to our previous article.

Part 2 - Road Trip!!!

Here is a link to the next article, a review of Desert Trails RV Park:

Part 4 - Desert Trails RV Park