Oct 19, 2018 — Mt. Lemmon has always been on my radar, but there have been so many fun trips near Tucson that I wanted to do before going for this near-marathon hike loop that starts from the desert floor and ends in the coniferous summit of Mt. Lemmon. My hesitation to do this was because of the theme online claiming the Sutherland Trail was overgrown, and after lots of time bushwhacking the last week or so, I was feeling adventurous and thought it would be worth the risk. Coincidentally, an Arizona Conservation Corps trail crew was working on the trail, so even though the second half was a little rough (but still not bad at all), the top bit was newly renovated! I assume they'll be finishing the trail within the next few weeks.
Starting from Catalina State Park, take the Romero Canyon Trail up past Romero Pools and onward through a lesser-traveled, but well-cairned trail, crossing the creek a few times before gaining elevation and meeting Mt. Lemmon's south ridge. The trail meets with the Mt. Lemmon Trail / Arizona Trail and becomes excellent from here, leading along the ridge to the summit of Mt. Lemmon (or as close to the summit as you can get without trespassing on the observatory's property). I did not find a spicket to refill my hydration pack, despite being told there was one up here, and a nice family gave me some - the 12 miles back would have been miserable without it.
From Mt. Lemmon's summit, head back partially along the south ridge until you hit a junction with the Sutherland Trail. There were burn area warning signs here when I did this route. Take the Sutherland Trail until another junction, pointing you left to stay on the Sutherland Trail along a pretty ridge all the way down to a dirt road, which you follow for a few miles before a sign points you west along a trail leading back to Catalina State Park. Arizona sunsets are incredible.
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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!
