| Mount Lemmon | |
|---|---|
 View of Mount Lemmon from the western side | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 9,171 ft (2,795 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 5,157 ft (1,572 m)[2] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 32°26′35″N110°47′19″W / 32.442961983°N 110.788478444°W /32.442961983; -110.788478444[1] |
| Geography | |
  Mount Lemmon | |
| Location | Tucson,Pima County,Arizona, U.S. |
| Parent range | Santa Catalina Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Lemmon |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Catalina Highway |
Mount Lemmon, with a summit elevation of 9,171 feet (2,795 m),[1] is the highest point in theSanta Catalina Mountains. It is located in theCoronado National Forest north ofTucson, Arizona, United States. Mount Lemmon was named forbotanistSara Plummer Lemmon, who trekked to the top of the mountain with her husband and E. O. Stratton, a local rancher, by horse and foot in 1881.[4][5] Mount Lemmon is also known as Babad Do'ag, or Frog Mountain[6] to theTohono O'odham. It is home to the southernmost ski destination in the continental United States.
Due to the elevation change from the bottom to the top, the summit of the mountain can be 20–30°F cooler than the base. It typically sees from 10 to 20 inches of monthly snowfall during the winter, making it a cool escape and popular tourist attraction for Tucson inhabitants.[7]
Mount Lemmon is made up ofBolsa Quartzite,Dripping Spring Quartzite, and a local sandstone and conglomerate. The portions have been intruded by aDiabaseDike of theApace Group.[8]
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 theAspen Fire of July 2003.[9]
| Climate data for Summerhaven, Arizona (1958–2009) 7,790 ft (2,370 m)elevation | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 65 (18) | 68 (20) | 74 (23) | 82 (28) | 91 (33) | 89 (32) | 82 (28) | 81 (27) | 76 (24) | 71 (22) | 65 (18) | 91 (33) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 49.2 (9.6) | 48.3 (9.1) | 52.9 (11.6) | 60.8 (16.0) | 69.1 (20.6) | 76.4 (24.7) | 76.5 (24.7) | 73.6 (23.1) | 70.4 (21.3) | 61.7 (16.5) | 56.3 (13.5) | 50.6 (10.3) | 62.2 (16.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.8 (−5.1) | 21.8 (−5.7) | 25.7 (−3.5) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 36.6 (2.6) | 44.4 (6.9) | 49.8 (9.9) | 49.8 (9.9) | 45.1 (7.3) | 36.4 (2.4) | 29.7 (−1.3) | 24.3 (−4.3) | 34.8 (1.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −4 (−20) | −7 (−22) | −1 (−18) | 19 (−7) | 27 (−3) | 32 (0) | 39 (4) | 42 (6) | 31 (−1) | 20 (−7) | 4 (−16) | 4 (−16) | −7 (−22) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.15 (80) | 1.69 (43) | 1.17 (30) | 0.50 (13) | 0.25 (6.4) | 0.62 (16) | 4.41 (112) | 6.99 (178) | 3.39 (86) | 3.05 (77) | 1.75 (44) | 2.60 (66) | 29.56 (751) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 16.5 (42) | 20.4 (52) | 6.8 (17) | 2.0 (5.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2.0 (5.1) | 6.2 (16) | 11.0 (28) | 64.9 (165) |
| Average precipitation days | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 59 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 241 | 243 | 299 | 325 | 374 | 372 | 327 | 319 | 315 | 301 | 260 | 242 | 3,618 |
| Source 1:[10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:[11] | |||||||||||||
At the peak is theMount Lemmon Observatory, which was formerly the site of a USAF radar base of theAir Defense Command,[12] and the building that formerly housed a military emergency radar tracking station for landing theSpace Shuttle atWhite Sands Missile Range. Although theUnited States military had a presence on the mountain for several decades all their facilities have been abandoned and were given to theUnited States Forest Service. The area and buildings that make 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 theCatalina Sky Survey, theMount Lemmon Sky Center,[13] theUniversity of ArizonaAstronomy Camp program,[14] the University of Arizona, and theUniversity of Minnesota. The educational resources at the top of the mountain make it a unique research and teaching destination.
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TheCatalina Highway, also called the Mount Lemmon Highway, as well as the Hitchcock Highway (afterFrank Harris Hitchcock), runs up the Santa Catalina Mountains from the east side of Tucson up toSummerhaven, 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 theSky Island Parkway, part of the USNational Scenic Byway system.[15]
The year 2010 saw the inaugural running of theMount Lemmon Marathon.[16]
Catalina Highway charges tolls for parking, camping, and hiking. However, the tolls are only officially charged for people who are camping. Tolls for other events, such as hiking, parking, or grilling, are a part of the honor system. Park rangers will not check for toll payments unless someone is using the park campgrounds. Anyone wishing to sightsee or travel to Summerhaven are not subjected to paying tolls.[citation needed]
An unpaved road to the summit on the north side of Mount Lemmon starts inOracle, which is onArizona Route 77 north 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.[17]
_Mountlemmonobservatory.JPG)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
