What do Russian bombers, fire and ice, Spanish explorers and little red squirrels have in common?
Follow us on our next adventure and you’ll find out!
We’re driving along the dusty roads north of Tucson. Tumbleweeds roll and the wind burns your face as the car twists up a winding road towards Mt. Lemmon in the Coronado National Forest
One thousand feet, 2000 feet, 3000 feet….
Even the cacti dare not go this high. Weird rock formations look like giant bubbles that some enormous alien stacked up thousands of years ago. Tucson fades from sight and stretching ahead is 28 uphill miles to adventures and rattlesnakes and lions.
You still coming?
You’re about to follow in the footsteps of some legendary people. More than 500 years ago a Spanish explorer called Don Francisco de Coronado and his expedition came to southern Arizona from Mexico in search of Seven Golden Cities, which were rumored to exist around these parts. Unfortunately for him, he never found them, but the forest was named after him. Nearly 400 years later a botanist called Sarah Lemmon and her Native American guides trekked to the top of the mountain by mule. The mountain was named in her honor.
Back to the present and couple of thousand feet further up, there’s a thick lush forest with miles and miles of hiking trails. If you’re too little and your legs are too short to climb 7000 vertical feet, you can tell Mom or Dad to drive up Mt. Lemmon highway to shorten the hike. You can also camp almost anywhere. Your parents can call the Coronado National Forest at (520) 749 8700 for a ticket. Make sure you get a map before you take off.
Don’t forget about rattlesnakes and lions. Mountain lions live in some parts of the canyons and rattlesnakes might be basking in the sun, so don’t wander off alone and watch where you step.
All this hiking making you hungry?
It’s time to climb a bit higher to the mountain top town of Summerhaven for some pizza and pie. Can you guess why all the trees are all black and the mountainside is scorched?
That’s right. Forest fires devastated Summerhaven in 2002 and 2003 consuming 32,000 acres and devouring more than 300 homes, cabin and shops. These days, shops and some homes have been rebuilt so we can go to the Mt. Lemmon Cookie Cabin for pizza and treats. Don’t forget to go to the General Store if you want to get a gift for your best buddy back home.
Are you full of pizza and full of energy again? You’ve found the Spanish Explorer and the fire - are you ready to find the ice, Russian bombers and the red squirrels?
Time to get out your winter woolies, you’re in Arizona!
No we haven’t gone mad. At this altitude even Arizona gets cold enough for snow and snow means Ski Valley. If you’re there between December and April you have 16 runs to choose from, ranging from beginners to advanced. Don’t worry if you didn’t bring your skis. You can rent equipment (520-576-1321) and if you’re a novice, they’ll even have an instructor who’ll have you swishing down the slopes in no time.
If you visit in the summer, you can still get a lift ticket all day pass for $35 and soar above the mountains to see Tucson in the distance, the San Pedro Valley and even some of the mountains all the way off in Phoenix.
