(Santa Catalina Highway is now open.)
Scenery has changed a lot from what you see below
due to the recent fire.
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This is an excellent ride that is a total of 335 miles. It will take you up the Santa Catalina Mountains to an elevation of almost 9000 feet through some high desert, twisties, awesome rock formations, pines and very pretty roadside scenery. Once you get to Mt. Lemmon you will enjoy weather that is 20 degrees cooler than at the bottom of the mountain. It is truly worth the ride to go to the top of Mt. Lemmon. There are 4 options associated with this ride. If you have time you can take the route out to Globe and then cut down through Winkleman. This will make the trip 440 miles. You can also make it a 2 day trip and go through the Saguaro National Park West and visit the Arizona Desert Museum. See the options below. |
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Distance: 335 miles |
Riding Time: Approx. 10-12 hours |
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Depending on where you leave from in the valley will affect the total mileage. |
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Directions: |
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 Starting from I-17 and Loop 101. Go East and South as it curves around on Loop 101 to US. 60. *38 miles* |
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East on Hwy 60 to Florence Junction turnoff. Hwy. 79. *39 miles* |
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on Hwy 79 for 15 miles to Florence. If you need gas this is the place to fill up. Continue on79 to Oracle Junction. |
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Right on Hwy. 77 through Oro Valley to Ina Rd. Total of the last 2 legs will be about 72 miles. |
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Left (East) on Ina Rd. which will then turn into Skyline Rd. Turn Left (East) on Sunrise Dr. to Sabino Canyon Rd. Turn Right (South) on Sabino Canyon Rd. to Tanque Verde Rd. Turn Left (East) on Tanque Verde Rd. to Catalina Hwy. This total section is approximately 20 miles. Click Here For Map of Tucson |
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Turn Left (Northeast) on Catalina Highway. This corner is your last stop for gas before you head up the mountain. |
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You will now go about 4 miles on Catalina Hwy. and it will turn into Mt. Lemmon Hwy. You will see a sign that says
25 miles to Summerhaven. Click Here For a Map of the Road to Mt. Lemmon |
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Scenes from the ride up to Summerhaven. |
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At the top you will come to a fork in the road. Left is Summerhaven, right is the lodge. At Summerhaven you will
find the Mr. Lemmon Cafe. They are famous for their homemade pies. You can set out on the patio and enjoy lunch
and a piece of pie. |
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you leave Summerhaven you can take a left at the top of the hill and go to 2 miles to Ski Valley Lodge. You can
also eat lunch here in their outdoor restaurant. |
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| Retrace
your route back down the Mountain to Catalina Hwy and Tanque Verde Rd. At this point you have some options. |
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| Option 1: At this point you can retrace your exact map and go home the same way you came. | ||
| Option 2: If you are pressed for time you can Tanque Verde to Grant Rd. and go West to I-10 (about 12 miles) and take I-10 North to Phoenix. About 120 miles to where we started. | ||
| Option 3: If you have
the time or want to make a 2 day ride out of this, you can go to Saguaro National Park West. See the map, it is
just on the West side of I-10. Speedway Blvd., which is 1 mile S. of Grant Rd., will take you right into it. I
have heard that this is well worth the ride. Click here for the map of this area. Click Here for some web site information about the park. |
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| Option 4: If you want to make this a 2 day ride, or a very long 1 day ride, you can go on past the Florence Junction turnoff on Hwy. 60 to Globe and then turn South on Hwy. 77 through Winkleman. This is a very pretty ride. If you add option 3 it is definately a 2 day ride. | ||
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My Review Of This Ride: Pros: This is an excellent ride that is a total of 335 miles. It will take you up through the Santa Catalina Mountains to an elevation of almost 9000 feet through some high desert, twisties, awesome rock formations, pines and very pretty roadside scenery. Once you get to Mt. Lemmon you will enjoy weather that is 20 degrees cooler than at the bottom of the mountain. It is truly worth the ride to go to the top of Mt. Lemmon. But remember, if you do this in one day, leave yourself plenty of time to take in all the sites and relax at the top of the hill. Cons: The ride back home up I-10 is no fun at all. Very boring, windy and a lot of traffic. I would suggest not going back this way unless it is a time constraint. Conclusion: I give this ride 4 Spokes out of 5 |
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Click
Here For A Complete Detailed Map |
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