Mt. Lemmon: A Day Trip from Tucson

If you’re looking for something to do during the summer months in Arizona, a day trip from Tucson to Mt. Lemmon is a great option. My husband and I (okay, it’s mostly me) are always looking for things to do on the weekends. About once a year, during the summer, we take a drive to Mt. Lemmon, which is about an hour away from central Tucson. When it’s not pouring outside, it’s a beautiful drive: the scenery is beautiful and and the views are amazing. So this past Sunday, after we ate a delicious breakfast at Prep and Pastry, we set out on our day trip.

Day Trip from Tucson

We took advantage of the sunroof in my husband’s car and enjoyed the cool breeze and the clear blue sky. And stopped to take pictures at the vistas along the way 🙂 This is a great view of the city. And the winding road that leads up to the mountain! As a sidenote, when I told my son that morning that we were going on a mountain, he asked if we were going to race “Ka Chow” (aka Lightning McQueen ala Radiator Springs Racer at California Adventure!).

Last year, a friend of ours told us about a little trail that’s perfect for younger children, near Summerhaven, called Faul Preservation Area. My son loves this area - it has pine cones throughout (or pinecorns as my son called them, lol), it’s nicely shaded, and it’s not strenuous to walk.

The area also has a couple of benches to sit down and relax.

Exploring the trail didn’t take very long, so we decided to explore other areas like Marshall Gulch. We like that we can take our time, and we especially love seeing people with their dogs.

Last summer, I wanted to go on the ski lift nearby, but I wasn’t sure if my son would be able to sit still. And the thought of being high up with a squirmy toddler didn’t sound like fun 😉 We decided to try it out on Sunday, though, and the three of us loved it. My son enjoyed looking at all the trees. He was a bit reserved when we first got on the ski lift but by the time we came back down the mountain, he enjoyed it once he realized that it wasn’t scary. My husband and our son rode on the ski lift together, while I went solo, taking pictures. At the risk of sounding corny, it was very peaceful. The ski lift moved at a slow pace, and it was just so quiet. I’m rarely in front of the camera, so I took the opportunity to take a selfie 🙂 I love that you can see the mountain in the background.

This is what happiness looks like 🙂

As you can tell by the pictures below, there weren’t many people on the ski lift. Look closely at the picture below. Notice anything unusual, like a stuffed animal? And finally, a picture of my husband and our son smiling 🙂

I love these kinds of days…….days where time seems to stand still…..days that involve the opportunity to experience something new, like a ski lift.

I’d love to hear from others what they recommend to see/do while at Mt. Lemmon! As well as other day trips they recommend from Tucson.