As your car crawls, often only 25 miles per hour on a winding two lane road, you are transported into a geological time warp. Mt. Lemmon is probably the most popular getaway for Tucsonans and visitors, especially during the hot summer when temperatures in the valley often remain over 100 degrees F. for several months. It's no wonder that probably everyone who has lived or stayed in the area has been to Mt. Lemmon at one time or another. To some, it is a regular pilgrimage several times a year. From the base of the mountain range, all the desert plant and wildlife co-exist among the ever creeping metropolitan city limits.
Saguaro cactus abounds standing tall against the backdrop of the enormous mountain range.
As you drive up the winding road, now under construction for enlargement, you gain a sense of awe as you watch the desert slowly turn into brush, then into an array of windblown rock formations and finally into the midst of a deep forest of pine and fir. If you visit in the winter, be sure to bring your ski equipment or snow tires. The earlier you arrive, the better parking and picnic areas your find. Less travelled days are weekend mornings and many weekdays. Residents and employees on the mountain are exempt from the new fee.