There is one road up Mt. Lemmon, and it is the whole experience: the Catalina Highway, a 27.2-mile climb from the Tucson desert floor to the 9,171-foot summit. This page maps it in order — every viewpoint, campground, trailhead and stop from the bottom to the top, with mile markers, what each one costs, and where the parking actually is.
The Route at a Glance
The highway starts in northeast Tucson at Tanque Verde Road and runs 27.2 miles to the end of the pavement near the summit. About 4.2 miles up you cross the Coronado National Forest boundary; from there the road is officially the General Hitchcock Highway, and it is designated the Sky Island Scenic Byway — a National Scenic Byway. It ends at Summerhaven, Arizona, and the final stretch continues past the village to Ski Valley and the summit area.
The profile below shows the climb. Every elevation labelled on it is a published figure — the curve between them is an approximation, not a survey.
Approximate elevation profile of the climb from Tucson to the summit.
Driving Up: What to Know Before You Start
There is no fuel on the mountain
Fill up in Tucson. There is no gas station anywhere on Mt. Lemmon — the Mount Lemmon Fire District states it plainly. This is the single most common mistake visitors make.
Driving the road is free
There is no entrance station and no fee to drive up and back. You pay only if you stop at a developed day-use site along the way — those are listed and priced below.
Winter driving
The road is paved and suitable for passenger cars, but it can be snow-covered — chains or 4-wheel drive may be required. Observatory Road past Ski Valley is not maintained in winter and closes when icy.
Check conditions first
The road information hotline is (520) 351-3351. For fire restrictions and local road access, the Mount Lemmon Fire District is (520) 576-1201. Our live weather page and cameras update all season.
Stops From the Bottom to the Top
In order, measured in miles from Tanque Verde Road. Mile markers shown are published or posted ones; where the Forest Service does not publish a milepost for an intermediate stop, it is described by position instead.
Start: Catalina Highway at Tanque Verde Road
The southern end, in northeast Tucson. Head northeast on the Catalina Highway (also signed as Mt. Lemmon Highway). You are still in the desert here — saguaro and rock, no pines yet.
Babad Do'ag Vista FREE
The first real viewpoint, and wheelchair accessible. The name is Tohono O'odham — Babad Do'ag, Frog Mountain, their name for Mt. Lemmon. The new wayfinding signs here show campground statuses and where to pay day-use fees. Note: no parking from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. except for hikers. A footpath leaves just east of the parking area for the 2.2-mile Babad Do'ag Trail #705.
Molino Canyon Vista FREE
A short paved trail and a longer gravel path lead out to viewpoints over Molino Canyon. You cross the Coronado National Forest boundary at about 4.2 miles, where the road becomes the General Hitchcock Highway.
Thimble Peak Vista and Seven Cataracts Vista FREE
Two pullouts within a mile of each other. Thimble Peak is the pointed granite spire you can see to the south. Seven Cataracts looks into Willow Canyon, which runs with seasonal waterfalls after rain or snowmelt — the best time to see them is spring.
Molino Basin Picnic Area and Campground $8 DAY PASS
The first developed stop, in oak and grassland rather than pines. The picnic area sits at about 4,400 feet; the campground just beyond is at roughly 4,500 feet and runs its season November 1 to May 1 — the opposite of the upper-mountain campgrounds. Single sites are $20 a night, with trailers and RVs under 22 feet. The trailhead here is a standard-amenity fee site: $8 per vehicle per day, or a displayed Coronado National Forest or Interagency pass.
Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site (the old Prison Camp) $8 DAY PASS
Watch for the turnoff to the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area, the site of the 1939–1973 Catalina Federal Honor Camp — the "prison camp" locals still call it. It is now a campground with interpretive displays and the start of the Sycamore Reservoir Trail #39. The Forest Service's own trail directions place this turnoff near milepost 7, and it sits west (left) off the highway.
Windy Point Vista FREE
The classic stop on the drive, and the one every visitor photographs. No fees, vault toilets, day use only — no overnight camping. The rock formations along the ridge here are the hoodoos people climb around on, about 6,600 feet up. By this point you are above the saguaros and into oak and pine.
Bear Canyon and General Hitchcock Campground
On the upper part of the drive you pass General Hitchcock Campground in upper Bear Canyon, on the right — single sites $20 a night, doubles $40. The Green Mountain Trail #21 starts from just below it. It also gives access to the Bear Canyon side of the range.
Rose Canyon Lake $11 PER VEHICLE
Turn off for the mountain's only stocked trout lake, a six-acre water at about 7,000 feet surrounded by ponderosa pine. The lakeside walk is a 0.2-mile accessible concrete walkway to a fishing pier. Rose Canyon Campground has 73 sites and runs roughly April through October; the gate closes in winter, leaving walk-in fishing only. Fees here are different: it is concessionaire-run at $11 per vehicle for day use, and federal passes are not accepted. Our Rose Canyon Lake guide covers fishing and camping here.
Palisades Visitor Center $8 DAY PASS
The Forest Service publishes this milepost: mile 19.9, at 11301 Catalina Highway. It has the only flush toilets and potable water on the upper drive, a bookstore, and exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the Santa Catalinas. Hours run roughly 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in summer and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday in winter — seasonal, so confirm before you rely on it. The Butterfly Trail #16 trailhead, signed Bigelow Trailhead, is just before it and across the highway.
Sunset Trail #90 trailhead
A quiet alternative start for Sunset Trail #90, on the highway rather than at Marshall Gulch. Its first half mile runs through a residential cabin area on dirt roads before it reaches the forest.
Ski Run Road turnoff to Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley
Turn here and follow East Ski Run Road about 1.5 miles to the Ski Valley parking area — southernmost ski area in the United States, and the base for the Iron Door Restaurant. Parking at Ski Valley is free. In winter the gate here closes, which puts the summit area out of reach by car.
Summerhaven — the village, and our cabins
This is the top of the drive for most visitors and the end of the byway: a small village at about 8,000 feet with the general store, restaurants, gift shops and our 21 cabins. Mt. Lemmon Hotel sits right here in the village, so everything above this line is a short drive up, and everything below is on your way home.
Parking in Summerhaven got much better in 2026: a new 75-space paved lot on N. Sabino Canyon Park Road just south of the village, plus 21 more spaces along that road. It has two restrooms and a concrete sidewalk that doubles as the Arizona Trail bypass. Full detail is on our road conditions and visitor essentials page.
Marshall Gulch Picnic Area and Trailhead PARKING CLOSED TO DEC 15
At the end of the road through the village, and one of the most popular recreation sites in the Coronado National Forest — about 160,000 visitors a year. It is the main trailhead for Marshall Gulch Trail #3, Aspen Trail #93 and Sunset Trail #90. Parking is closed until December 15, 2026 during the trailhead rebuild, and the area is closed Mondays through Thursdays; the trails are open to pedestrians Friday through Sunday and on federal holidays. Use the new Summerhaven lot and walk in, or start at Mint Springs Trail #20 instead.
Aspen Vista, the Day Use Area and the summit ASPEN VISTA FREE
Aspen Vista is the first big look north over the back of the range, with an interpretive sign on the mountain's six vegetation communities — no fee. Beyond it the pavement ends at the summit area, where the Mount Lemmon Day Use Area ($8 day pass) offers picnic sites. No trailers are allowed, the dirt lot is limited, and you must not block the observatory access gate. Follow Observatory Road to the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, the University of Arizona's observatory at 9,171 feet — the highest point in the Santa Catalinas. SkyCenter stargazing programs and daytime tours require advance reservations; our SkyCenter guide has the booking details.
The parking area for Mount Lemmon Trail #5 is about a mile past Ski Valley near the end of Observatory Road, at the power substation on Radio Ridge.
What Each Stop Costs
Free
Driving the highway. Windy Point Vista, Babad Do'ag Vista, Aspen Vista, Molino Canyon Vista, Thimble Peak Vista, Seven Cataracts Vista, Hoodoo Vista. Parking at Ski Valley. The Green Mountain, Mint Springs and Lower Bug Spring trailheads.
$8 per vehicle per day, $10 per week
The standard amenity fee at developed sites: Mount Lemmon Day Use Area, Molino Basin Picnic Area and Trailhead, Palisades Visitor Center, Marshall Gulch Picnic Area and Trailhead, and the picnic areas at Cypress, Middle Bear, Chihuahua Pine, Box Elder, Alder, Inspiration Rock and Loma Linda.
$11 per vehicle — no federal passes
Rose Canyon Lake day use, run by a concessionaire. A Coronado National Forest Annual Pass or an Interagency (America the Beautiful) pass is accepted at the $8 sites but not at concessionaire sites like Rose Canyon.
Fee-free days
Fees are waived at most standard-amenity sites on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan 19), Presidents Day (Feb 16), Memorial Day (May 25), National Get Outdoors Day (Jun 13), July 4, Constitution Day (Sep 17), National Public Lands Day (Sep 26), Theodore Roosevelt's Birthday (Oct 27) and Veterans Day (Nov 11).
Display your pass on the driver's side of the dashboard. A pass covers the holder and all passengers in one private vehicle, and there is no per-person fee for visitors who walk or bike into a site.
Parking Along the Route
There are 23 improved, designated trailheads along the Catalina Highway providing 326 parking spaces, plus the new village lot. The lots that matter most:
- Summerhaven — the new 75-space paved lot on N. Sabino Canyon Park Road, plus 21 spaces along the road.
- Marshall Gulch — 15 spaces in the main lot, 6 in the small lot, 8 across the bridge. Closed until December 15, 2026; the rebuild takes capacity from 30 to 32 vehicles.
- Butterfly / Bigelow Trailhead — 14 spaces, fee site, vault toilet, near the Palisades Visitor Center.
- Green Mountain Trailhead — 10 spaces, no fee.
- Mount Lemmon Day Use Area — limited dirt parking, no trailers, do not block the observatory gate.
Arrive before 10 a.m. on weekends, holidays and fall-color weekends. Winter snow days are the exception to everything — the upper mountain can close entirely.
The highway curves around rock formations on the lower half of the climb.
Above mile 14 the road runs into pine and oak.
Get the official forest map before you go
Cell service is unreliable on the mountain, so download ahead of time. The Coronado National Forest publishes the Mount Lemmon and Catalina Highway Recreation Guide, with the full trail and recreation-site map — available in English and Spanish.
For turn-by-turn driving directions, open Google Maps to Summerhaven before you leave Tucson.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to drive up Mt. Lemmon?
Allow about an hour from northeast Tucson to the village of Summerhaven, and a little longer if you stop along the way — which you should. The highway is 27.2 miles and climbs 6,782 feet, so it is a slow, winding mountain road, not a freeway run. Add time on weekends, holidays and fall-color days when the viewpoints and trailheads fill up.
Is there a fee to drive the Catalina Highway?
No. There is no entrance station and no charge to drive up and back. You only pay if you stop at a developed day-use site, which costs $8 per vehicle per day or $10 per week, or at Rose Canyon Lake, which is concessionaire-run at $11 per vehicle and does not accept federal passes. A Coronado National Forest or Interagency pass covers the $8 sites.
Where is there gas on Mt. Lemmon?
Nowhere — there is no gas station or fuel anywhere on the mountain. Fill up in Tucson before you start. This is the most common mistake visitors make, and running low on the way up is a genuinely difficult situation.
What is the highest point on the drive?
The paved highway tops out near the summit area at the end of the line, where the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter sits at 9,171 feet — the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains. The road itself ends at the summit after passing through Summerhaven at about 8,000 feet. Observatory Road beyond Ski Valley continues to the astronomy sites and is closed when snow-covered.
What are the best stops on the way up?
For views: Windy Point Vista at about mile 14, and Babad Do'ag Vista early on. For a break with facilities: the Palisades Visitor Center at mile 19.9, which has flush toilets, drinking water and a bookstore. For a lake: Rose Canyon Lake around mile 17 to 18. For trails: Palisades for Butterfly Trail #16, and Summerhaven for everything in the village. Most visitors stop at three or four of these on the way up and save the rest for the drive down.
Can I park in Summerhaven?
Yes, and it improved in 2026. A new 75-space paved lot opened on N. Sabino Canyon Park Road just south of the village, along with 21 more spaces along that road, plus two public restrooms and a sidewalk that doubles as the Arizona Trail bypass. Marshall Gulch Trailhead parking, at the end of the road through the village, is closed until December 15, 2026 for reconstruction.
Are there places to camp along the highway?
Four developed campgrounds sit on or near the route: Molino Basin (season November 1 to May 1), Gordon Hirabayashi at the old prison camp, General Hitchcock in upper Bear Canyon, and Rose Canyon near the lake (roughly April through October). Single sites at Molino Basin and General Hitchcock are $20 a night; Rose Canyon and Molino Basin are the larger ones. Molino Basin and Rose Canyon both have trailer and RV length limits of about 22 feet.
When does the road close?
The highway is generally open year-round, but it closes for heavy snow and for fire danger. In winter the road is plowed to Summerhaven; the upper section beyond Ski Valley and Observatory Road are not maintained and close when snow-covered or icy. When the Ski Valley gate closes, the summit area becomes unreachable by car. Call the road conditions hotline at (520) 351-3351 before driving up in winter, and check our live cameras and weather.
Mile 25 Is Where You Sleep
Our 21 private cabins sit in Summerhaven, right at the top of the drive — so the summit is twenty minutes up the road, and every stop on this page is on your way home.
Check Availability Text (520) 277-2478Keep Exploring
Mile markers, fees, campground seasons, parking counts and elevations on this page come from Coronado National Forest publications and the Federal Highway Administration's byway listing. Ranger district information: (520) 749-8700. Road information hotline: (520) 351-3351. Conditions change with weather, construction and fire season — confirm before you drive.