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Mt.Lemmon Campout

INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND 2022

Friday July 1st thru Monday July 4th

ARRIVAL time is 1PM Friday, Check Out 11AM Monday! Just an hour northeast of Tucson!

Beat the heat camping on Mt. Lemmon near 8000 ft. surrounded by the cool pines above Tucson.

We have Whitetail site #1 reserved. It's more cozy but still has a large Ramada, electricity, water, grills and terraced tent sites along the hill.

Getting to the campsite is a memorable trip up the Sky Island Scenic Byway, a recently improved road that has changing vegetation from the desert floor to the fir tree forest above. Figure about two hours from Phoenix to Tucson and another hour up the hill.

It's just a short walk to a dramatic view of Tucson. Great hiking trails are all around. If there is interest an organized hike will be planned. In addition there are many things to explore up on the mountain. The Mt. Lemmon ski area operates its lift year round. The Iron Door Restaurant is open for lunch. There’s the little vacation village of Summerhaven only 4 miles up the road where you can find eats, ice cream and a small general store for ice. There is a restaurant open for brunch and dinner called Sawmill Run. You might want to explore the Marshall Gulch picnic area at the Lemmon Summit Trailheads. Hopefully you’ll also have time for a quiet afternoon in the cool air.

The campsite is optimized for tent camping. Because of space limits expect to share your terrace with at least one other tent. Each terrace is a good size. Parking space is strictly limited to 8 vehicles. Carpooling is recommended. When we reach 8 vehicles it will be necessary to park across the highway along a side road.

A BYOB is planned for Saturday from 5pm till 6pm. Please bring something to share for the cocktail hour. A Saturday meal will be provided for 6:00 PM and those wishing to come for the meal only are welcome. We will provide coffee and snacks for the mornings. Please bring firewood. (A number of time there have been fire restrictions but near the 4th there usually has been rain.) (The camp host usually has some for sale.) We hope that people from Phoenix and Tucson will join us for the hikes and meal.

Directions:

From the 10 take Ina Rd. east. Following the main road bear right as it turns into Skyline then Sunrise Dr. Turn right at Kolb Rd. and follow it about four miles to Tanque Verde Rd. Turn Left on Tanque Verde Rd. and follow it to the Catalina Highway (Last chance shopping center). Turn left on Catalina and follow it up the mountain. Do not pay at the fee station. Watch carefully at about the 21 mile marker and turn left into the campground. You will likely have to open the gate. Proceed to the camp host and then down to the first site on the left.