Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Overview
This cool, high hike is a great way to spend a summer day away from Tucson's heat.
You'll start just below the summit of Mount Lemmon and descend steeply almost
2,000 feet, past rock formations and through pine forests. The Wilderness of Rock is
an area of mainly granite boulders and cliffs forming a wide band around the south
side of the higher sections of Mount Lemmon. This loop enters the eastern part of the
wilderness and exits via the popular Marshall Gulch saddle and up to the top of Mt.
Lemmon Ski Valley, Tucson's backyard ski area.
Route Details
From the unsigned, unpaved parking area on the left side of the road, at the top of the
ski area, look for a trail paralleling the left side of the road, going west-southwest and
offering great views of the Tucson valley to your left. In just under 0.2 mile you'll
arrive at the parking area for the
Meadow Trail
,
where you can also park, but this lot
is often full in summer.
Find a map board and a sign for Mount Lemmon Trail #5. Take this trail, which
skirts around the chain-link fence surrounding electrical power equipment, before
striking out west-southwest through the pines. After about 0.2 mile you'll reach a
signed trail fork—take the left branch, heading generally southwest and downhill for
0.4 mile to the beginning of Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail #12. A sign indicates it to
your left.
