Backway to Mount Lemmon

Total Miles
47.7

Elevation

2,410.90 ft

Duration

3 Hours

Technical Rating

2

Easy

Best Time

Summer

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Backway to Mount Lemmon 5

Trail Overview

Many drivers opt to skip this unremarkable backroad. There is a 6-mile section of the road that climbs and winds up the mountain, but other than that, it is pretty uneventful. Unlicensed vehicles are okay on Forest Road 38, but Rice Peak is your more appealing option.

Photos of Backway to Mount Lemmon

Backway to Mount Lemmon
Backway to Mount Lemmon

Difficulty

Easy: Most of the road is smooth gravel. The upper part gets a little rougher, but any 4-wheel-drive SUV can do it. Very dusty when dry.

History

The area is slowly recovering from the 2003 Aspen Fire, which burned over 84,000 acres and destroyed 340 homes and businesses in the town of Summerhaven at the top of the mountain.

Technical Rating

2

Status Reports

Andrew Overbey
May 26, 2024
4x4
Open
Mostly a dirt road but some rockier sections after the seasonal closure point. Good road/trail for novice 4x4 drivers.
Connor G
May 25, 2024
4x4
Open
Normal
Pretty easy trail with minor clearance needed - watch out for others through narrow sections.
Scott Perry
May 11, 2024
2016 Jeep Wrangler
Open
Normal
Just be careful for other drivers especially side by sides who go way faster than they should.
John Landon
Apr 13, 2024
4x4
Open
Normal
In Subaru Outback Wilderness, 9” clearance. Lower part was recently graded.

Access Description

Head north on Oracle Road, Highway 77, from Tucson. Just past mile marker 100, turn right on American Avenue. Continue another 2.7 miles to road marked Mt. Lemmon Highway on right. We start the trail here even though this part is still paved. Last chance to get gas in Oracle.

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