Mount Lemmon, just north of Tucson, Arizona, is the perfect reprieve from the heat of Tucson and the Sonoran Desert.
Mount Lemmon, Arizona – In Another Minute (Week 305)
With the summit at 9,159 feet (2,792 m), Mount Lemmon has the highest
peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It features a popular skiing area
on the north side, Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, and the small town of
Summerhaven, which apparently has mostly summer residents and a few
year-round residents.
The only paved road up to the village
Summerhaven near the top of Mount Lemmon is scenic Catalina Highway (aka
Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway). To experience what that looks like, please
check out this 1-minute video: Catalina Highway (Arizona) – In Another Minute (289).
After you get to Summerhaven, it’s time to hike…
Mount
Lemmon is a stop along the Arizona National Scenic Trail. The 800-mile
long Arizona Trail cuts through the length of Arizona, from Mexico to
Utah. And there are plenty of other trails along the mountain.
When I visited my friend and acupuncturist Jess Grotfeldt
in October, we chose Sunset Trail. It offered a refreshing creek,
dramatic boulder-strewn valleys, tall pines, bright wildflowers and even
the discovery of a Horned Lizard. If you look closely, at the end of my video you can even see Tucson far, far below and trying to hide in the haze.
Mount Lemmon was named after botanist Sara Plummer Lemmon, who made it to the peak by horse and foot with two other people in 1881.
The featured song is the instrumental version of “Fool’s Gold” by Josh Woodward (JoshWoodward.com). This song is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 US License. Thank you, Josh, for all the great music.
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| Hiking on Mount Lemmon, Arizon |