Mount Lemmon & Sabino Canyon

One of our reasons for full-time RVing was to able to avoid extreme cold and heat. It doesn’t always work due to family commitments and unexpected bad weather. When we planned to winter in Tucson, we knew that there could be snow in the nearby mountains, but we did not expect to have snow at our RV park. The good news is that it was very pretty and only lasted about 45 minutes, and warmer weather returned the next day. We did really enjoy seeing snow on the mountain tops for a week to ten days afterwards, especially when we drove the scenic Mount Lemmon Highway just north of Tucson. Mount Lemmon, has summit elevation of 9,159 feet, is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains, and is located in the Coronado National Forest. It is definitely a unique drive with gorgeous canyon and mountain views, and provides the equivalent of driving from the deserts of Mexico to the forests of Canada. The drive starts in the lower Sonoran desert and ascends to the high forests in the Canadian zone. There are some cool shops, a ski resort, a Catholic Shrine, and restaurants at the top. We had a wonderful socially distanced outdoor lunch at the Iron Door with delicious chili, cornbread and pie.

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area is one of the best hiking spots in Tucson. There was also snow on the mountains and a lot of water in the creeks due to melting snow. We rode on a tram to the top of the canyon, which was a little disconcerting due to high water. We hiked the phone line trail which gave us spectacular views throughout the canyon. When we go to the end, we had to cross one of the flooded creeks to get the parking area. We took our shoes off and yikes the water was cold!!

Mike is definitely keeping busy with his Covid-19 volunteer work several days a week. He has even become a team leader. He is enjoying this service and being able to actually spend time with people. I have enjoyed the extra alone time for lots of biking, running and strength training. We continue to enjoy the abundant wildlife in the area and more sightings of various birds, coyotes, bobcats and javelinas.

Next stop: Sedona!