Mount Lemmon
{{Short description|Mountain in Arizona, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Lemmon
| photo = File:View of the Santa Catalina Mountains from West Saguaro National Park near Tuscon, AZ.jpg
| photo_size =
| photo_alt =
| photo_caption = View of Mount Lemmon from the western side of
| elevation_ft = 9171
| elevation_ref = {{navd88}}{{cite ngs |pid=CZ1859 |name=Catalina 2 Reset |access-date=2016-08-18}}
| prominence_ft = 5157
| prominence_ref = {{cite peakbagger |pid=4191 |name=Mount Lemmon, Arizona |access-date=2014-02-07}}
| listing = {{unbulleted list
| Arizona county high point{{cite peakbagger |lid=lid=13211 |name=Arizona County High Points |access-date=2021-11-15}}
| U.S. most prominent peaks 117th }}
| location = Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, U.S.
| range = Santa Catalina Mountains
| map = USA Arizona
| map_size = 180
| map_caption = none
| label_position = right
| coordinates = {{coord|32.442961983|N|110.788478444|W|type:mountain_region:US-AZ_scale:100000_source:NGS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates =
| topo = USGS Mount Lemmon
| type =
| age =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route = Catalina Highway
}}
Mount Lemmon, with a summit elevation of {{convert|9,159|ft|0}}, is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It is located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Mount Lemmon was named for botanist Sara 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.californiabeat.org/2009/05/27/california-beat-hero-sara-plummer-lemmon |title=California Beat Hero: Sara Plummer Lemmon |date=May 27, 2009 |publisher=CaliforniaBeat.org |access-date=2014-02-07}}{{cite web |author=Lemmon, J.G. |title=A botanical wedding trip |work=Californian vol. 5. no. 24. |pages=517–525 |year=1881 |url=http://www.nybg.org/files/The_Californian_BotanicalWeddingTrip.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092321/http://www.nybg.org/files/The_Californian_BotanicalWeddingTrip.pdf |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |df=mdy-all }} Mount Lemmon is also known as Babad Do'ag, or Frog Mountain{{Cite web|date=2015-07-22|title=How did Mt. Lemmon Get Its Name?|url=https://southernarizonaguide.com/how-did-mt-lemmon-get-its-name/|access-date=2021-08-06|website=SouthernArizonaGuide.com|language=en-US}} to the Tohono O'odham. It is home to the southernmost ski destination in the continental United States.
Geography
=Climate=
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.{{Cite web|url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?az5732|title=MT LEMMON, ARIZONA (025732)|date=2011|website=WRCC - Desert Research Institute|publisher=Desert Research Institute}}
Geology
Mount Lemmon is made up of Bolsa Quartzite, Dripping Spring Quartzite, and a local sandstone and conglomerate. The portions have been intruded by a Diabase Dike of the Apace Group.{{cite book |last1=Bezy |first1=John V. |title=A Guide to the Geology of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona: The Geology and Life Zones of a Madrean Sky Island |date=2016 |publisher=The Arizona Geological Survey |location=Tucson, AZ |isbn=978-0-9854798-2-4 |edition=Down to Earth #22 |url=http://repository.azgs.az.gov/sites/default/files/dlio/files/nid1679/bezy-santacatalina-22-final.pdf |access-date=2 September 2020}}
Summerhaven
File:Summerhaven,_Cookie_Cabin.jpg
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 the Aspen Fire of July 2003.{{cite web |last=Faherty |first=John |title=Town of Summerhaven back after devastating fire |url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/17/20080617Summerhaven.html |publisher=AZ Central |access-date=2012-08-28}}
{{Weather box
|single line= yes
|location= Summerhaven, Arizona (1958–2009) {{cvt|7790|ft|m|}}elevation
|width= 80%
|temperature colour=
|Jan record high F =65
|Feb record high F =65
|Mar record high F =68
|Apr record high F =74
|May record high F =82
|Jun record high F =91
|Jul record high F =89
|Aug record high F =82
|Sep record high F =81
|Oct record high F =76
|Nov record high F =71
|Dec record high F =65
|year record high F =91
|Jan high F =49.2
|Feb high F =48.3
|Mar high F =52.9
|Apr high F =60.8
|May high F =69.1
|Jun high F =76.4
|Jul high F =76.5
|Aug high F =73.6
|Sep high F =70.4
|Oct high F =61.7
|Nov high F =56.3
|Dec high F =50.6
|year high F=62.2
|Jan low F =22.8
|Feb low F =21.8
|Mar low F =25.7
|Apr low F =31.7
|May low F =36.6
|Jun low F =44.4
|Jul low F =49.8
|Aug low F =49.8
|Sep low F =45.1
|Oct low F =36.4
|Nov low F =29.7
|Dec low F =24.3
|year low F=34.8
|Jan record low F =-4
|Feb record low F =-7
|Mar record low F =-1
|Apr record low F =19
|May record low F =27
|Jun record low F =32
|Jul record low F =39
|Aug record low F =42
|Sep record low F =31
|Oct record low F =20
|Nov record low F =4
|Dec record low F =4
|year record low F =-7
|precipitation colour= green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.15
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.69
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.17
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.50
|May precipitation inch = 0.25
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.62
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.41
|Aug precipitation inch = 6.99
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.39
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.05
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.75
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.60
|year precipitation inch=29.56
|rain colour=
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|Jan snow inch =16.5
|Feb snow inch =20.4
|Mar snow inch = 6.8
|Apr snow inch = 2.0
|May snow inch = 0
|Jun snow inch = 0
|Jul snow inch = 0
|Aug snow inch = 0
|Sep snow inch = 0
|Oct snow inch = 2.0
|Nov snow inch = 6.2
|Dec snow inch =11.0
|year snow inch=64.9
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|Jan precipitation days = 5
|Feb precipitation days = 5
|Mar precipitation days = 5
|Apr precipitation days = 3
|May precipitation days = 2
|Jun precipitation days = 2
|Jul precipitation days =10
|Aug precipitation days =11
|Sep precipitation days = 5
|Oct precipitation days = 3
|Nov precipitation days = 3
|Dec precipitation days = 5
|year precipitation days=59
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|Jan sun= 241
|Feb sun= 243
|Mar sun= 299
|Apr sun= 325
|May sun= 374
|Jun sun= 372
|Jul sun= 327
|Aug sun= 319
|Sep sun= 315
|Oct sun= 301
|Nov sun= 260
|Dec sun= 242
|date=May 2012}}
Mount Lemmon Station Observatory
{{Main|Mount Lemmon Observatory}}
At the peak is the Mount Lemmon Observatory, which was formerly the site of a USAF radar base of the Air Defense Command,{{cite web |title=Air Defense Radar Stations |url=http://www.radomes.org/museum/showsite.php?site=Mount+Lemmon+AFS,+AZ |publisher=Radomes Inc.|access-date=2012-08-28}} and the building that formerly housed a military emergency radar tracking station for landing the Space Shuttle at White Sands Missile Range. Although the United States military had a presence on the mountain for several decades all their facilities have been abandoned and were given to the United States Forest Service. The area and buildings that makes 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 the Catalina Sky Survey, the Mount Lemmon Sky Center,{{cite web |url=http://skycenter.arizona.edu/ |title=SkyCenter |publisher=University of Arizona |access-date=2016-08-18}} the University of Arizona Astronomy Camp program,{{cite web |url=http://www.astronomycamp.org/pages/lemmon.html |title=Astronomy Camp |publisher=University of Arizona SkyCenter |access-date=2016-08-18}} the University of Arizona, and the University of Minnesota. The educational resources at the top of the mountain make it a unique research and teaching destination.
Catalina Highway
File:Mount Lemmon (35229949722).jpg
The Catalina Highway, also called the Mount Lemmon Highway, as well as the Hitchcock Highway (after Frank Harris Hitchcock), runs up the Santa Catalina Mountains from the east side of Tucson up to Summerhaven, 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 the Sky Island Parkway, part of the US National Scenic Byway system.{{cite web|url=http://www.azdot.gov/highways/SWProjMgmt/enhancement_scenic/scenicroads/ScenicRoads_Common/Scenic_Tucson_Southern_Arizona.asp|publisher=Arizona Dept. of Transportation|title=Name change to Sky Island Parkway|access-date=2010-07-14}}
The year 2010 saw the inaugural running of the Mount Lemmon Marathon.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/sports/18tucson.html |title=A Finish Line With a Real High: 8,000 Feet |first=Marc |last=Lacey |date=October 17, 2010 |access-date=2010-10-28 |work=New York Times}}
Fees and permits
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|date=August 2018}}
Back side
An unpaved road to the summit on the north side of Mount Lemmon starts in Oracle, which is on Arizona 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.{{cite web |title=Backway to Mount Lemmon |url=http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=XFT002-067 |publisher=Trails.com |access-date=2012-08-28}}
File:Hoodoos,_Santa_Catalina_Mountains.jpg|Hoodoos, Santa Catalina Mountains
File:Remnants_of_the_2003_Aspen_Fire.jpg|Remnants of the 2003 Aspen Fire
File:Mount_Lemmon_Ski_Valley.jpg|Mount Lemmon Ski Valley
File:Cabins_atop_Mt_Lemmon_in_Summerhaven.jpg|Cabins atop Mt Lemmon in Summerhaven
File:(140) Mountlemmonobservatory.JPG|View of the telescopes on Mount Lemmon
File:Oracle AZ Mt Lemmon.JPG|View of Mount Lemmon from Oracle, AZ
File:Backside.jpg|Unpaved road on the north or "backside" of Mount Lemmon
File:SkyIslandPkwy.JPG|Catalina Highway climbing Mount Lemmon
File:Stereograph_-Mount_Lemmon_Highway.jpg|Stereograph of the Mt Lemmon Highway near Windy Point Vista.
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Wikivoyage|Santa Catalina Mountains}}
{{Commons category|Mount Lemmon}}
- {{cite gnis |id=30943 |name=Mount Lemmon}}
- {{cite summitpost |id=151231 |name=Mt. Lemmon}}
- [http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?wfo=twc&zone=azz033&fire=azz148&county=azc019&dgtl=1&lat=32.439583333333&lon=-110.78125 NOAA "Mount Lemmon Forecast"].
- {{cite web |url=http://tucson.com/news/blogs/streetsmarts/street-smarts-highway-mountain-named-for-botanist/article_c1c63977-e901-52c1-888d-ab2ef14dcdc6.html?id=201408 |author=David Leighton |title=Street Smarts: Highway, mountain named for botanist |work=Arizona Daily Star |date=January 5, 2015}}
{{US prominent|state=collapsed}}
{{Mountains of Arizona}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Santa Catalina Mountains
Category:Geography of Tucson, Arizona
Category:Landforms of Pima County, Arizona