Summerhaven Mount Lemmon

About an hour and a half drive from midtown Tucson is indeed a summer haven for those brutal Tucson summer temps. At the top of Mount Lemmon lies the town of Summerhaven. With temperatures at least 20 degrees cooler, hiking trails and restaurants, it's the perfect summer day trip for locals and visitors.

We had the perfect day trip in July, during monsoon season. We got to Summerhaven early enough to enjoy a short hike on the trail at the end of Turkey Run, aptly named for the wild turkeys roaming around in the early morning and calling out through the day. We stopped to photograph a fairy garden and leave our own momentos for other passerbys to enjoy. It was at least 25 degrees cooler than down in Tucson, which was a nice break from the dry heat.

After building up an appetite, we walked to the Cookie Cabin for a carb fuelled lunch of giant pizzas, decadent oversized cookies and calzones that took an extra while longer to arrive. Waiting outside at a picnic table for our midday meal, in rolled the storm. It was the perfect mix of cooler temperatures, heavy rain and crackling thunder out. Needless to say, we finished our meal indoors and watched the rain come down. 

The top of Mount Lemmon provides beautiful photo perfect scenery, but adding in a summer rain storm opens up the beauty to all your senses. It cooled off enough for us to stop in and buy sweatshirts at The Living Rainbow, where we also learned how Mount Lemmon got its name. It was named after Sara Allen Plummer Lemmon, who climbed Mount Lemmon by foot and horse in 1881. I found this beautifully written article about it here.

I take a day trip up Mount Lemmon at least twice a year. It's definitely a favorite destination and is family and dog friendly. I love going during the summer to escape the heat. Visiting in winter is fun too as the snow fall offers an unlimited playground for sledding. Or, you can trek up to Ski Valley for all the skiing and snowboarding you can fit into your trip. I usually check the weather report before heading up in winter as the roads sometimes close to residents of Summerhaven only when the snow fall is heavy. 

If you live in or around Tucson or are just visiting, add Mount Lemmon to your list of places to see, at any time of the year. You can go here for more information about visiting and here for weather information.