Mount Lemmon is the highest peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains, located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson. 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, most 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.

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, NM. 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 largest user 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. Bears, cougars, coyotes, deer, eagles, owls and a wide variety of wildlife still inhabit this rugged alpine wilderness.

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.


Summerhaven is the small village on Mount Lemmon which sits at an elevation of approximately 8,200 feet. While Summerhaven is inhabited throughout the year by about 100 people, in the summer the population swells as residents from Tucson and Phoenix move in to their seasonal homes and cabins in the mountaintop retreat.

The Summerhaven area was originally used by the U.S. Army at Fort Lowell in Tucson as a military camp in its campaign against the Apache Indians in the 1870s and 1880s.

In the summer of 2003, a wildfire (known as the Aspen Fire) ravaged Summerhaven, destroying more than 250 of the 700 homes in the community. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano assessed the damage, and both federal and county officials surveyed the extensive loss. In the months that followed, Tucson residents organized "Lemmon Aid" to help rebuild Summerhaven. Summerhaven continues to recover from the wildfire.

Summerhaven is back as a quaint village of shops,restaurants, summer cabins and year round inhabitants. Discovered by Tucsonans in the early 1900s as an escape from the desert heat, Summerhaven is still enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Visitors can shop for a variety of souvenirs and necessities. They can have a snack or a meal, or walk along Upper Sabino Creek to the Marshall Gulch Picnic Area and Trailhead.

Ski Valley right outside Summerhaven is the southernmost ski resort in the continental United States.

Summerhaven is easily accessible via the Catalina Highway from Tucson.