Summertime, this place is a mecca for getting out of the valley heat. Â Cooler temps, blue blue skies, and trees. Â Honest to goodness trees! Â Wintertime, this place reminds you what winter is really like for the rest of the country. Â Well, almost anyways. Â Still, there's typically enough snow to make it worthwhile if you finding yourself just needing so bad to cruise down a slope on a snowboard or set of skis. Â It's not the greatest for skiing, but it suffices in a pinch. Â
Chairlift runs year round so even in the summer you can take the ride and enjoy the solitude with views that can't be beat.
Afterwards, Summerhaven is a quick jaunt down the road--head on down as a trip up the mountain essentially requires a visit to this small, bustling village. Â
Lastly, don't forget to get some of that delicious fudge to enjoy on the way back down. Â It goes nicely with the views!
This review is for summer only. I recently drove up Mt. Lemmon and decided to try riding the chair lift for a nice view. It was lovely! The view was beautiful and the ride was relaxing. It also wasn't too expensive. There is not much to do at the Ski Valley other than the chair ride. There was just a gift shop and a small snack stand selling candy and fudge.
Remember to bring a jacket, even in summer!
I can't wait to come back in winter and actually try some skiing! I have tried in the past, but it's pretty hard to get the weather and snowfall to cooperate in Tucson.
It's a ski lift, what's not to love? The cost is what.. 8 or 9 bucks. Free if you eat at the Iron Door Restaurant. My friend and I enjoyed a nice cool ride up in April, straight to the top and back down. About 30 minutes round trip? Lots of fun. Was not busy, no snow, just a quiet gentle ride up and down. What else can I say? If you want a ski lift ride this is it! You can walk around at the top where it drops you off, or you can drive up there in your car and hike a nice trail nearby. Lots of fun.
Review Source:Please note, this review is of the rental shop only!:
Staff is nice enough, however the equipment is trashed. Some boards don't have stomp pads, and all the boards I saw had chunks missing from the surface. Boots are also worn out.
Worst part of all: rental deposit. This place requires a $300 deposit when you rent equipment. I asked whether this is a $300 hold, or whether $300 is actually deducted. I was told that it was just a hold, and that the receipt would be torn up when the equipment was returned.
This is not a $300 hold!! They actually deduct $300 from your account, and then issue a refund when you return the equipment.
Anyone that has stayed at a hotel knows how these deposits are supposed to work. They authorize the full amount, but don't actually charge it. When you return the equipment, they tear up the authorization and don't convert it to a purchase. In theory, if you took off with the equipment, the authorization turns into a purchase.
Again, Mt. Lemmon actually charges you the full $300, and then refunds you the $300 when you return the equipment!!
That means that you have to wait for the initial purchase, and the return to both be processed. As of today, several days later, I still have a -$300 transaction, but no +$300 credit. As anyone who has ever returned something on a credit card knows, returns can take days, even up to a week to process.
Mt. Lemmon needs to get their act together in regard to rentals. Learn how to process an authorization correctly so that it protects both the rental shop, and doesn't inconvenience the customers.
I've lived here for 15 years + and one of the top reason why I love Tucson is Mt. Lemmon. Its a short drive just to see a beautiful thing. Well, it does take about an hour to get to the top but time flies when your distracted by the amazing view. You can visit any time of the year and this place is just stunning. Dont wanna drive too far up? Windy point is a great turnout spot, barely half way up with the best view of tucson. Make it on time and you can see the sunset over the mountains. You will find a lot of Tucson locals in this area.
Ski Valley/Summerhaven is open Thursday to Monday if you wanted to stop at a coffee shop or have dinner at the Iron Door restaurant. Otherwise, the whole park is open to explore. Come during the winter when  and its the perfect snow slope for beginners or to warm up for the season. This is where i learned to snowboard!
We drove up the hill to see the ski lift because we heard it was open in the summer. We were not disappointed!
2 people per lift meant one of our group rode alone and I'm glad it wasn't me! I was stunned by how high up we were and the ride up was easier for me than the ride down- incredible views, stunning quietude and chilling heights!
I had my squirmy toddler with me but, she did okay. I can't say that for another baby who was going down as we were ascending--She was FrEaKiNg OuT!
So beware there are no lap belts-just safety bars that lower over you. Â If you think your kid might freak be prepared to play it cool and hold on to them.
I took a chance taking pictures but, I couldn't help myself! My toddler was only a little tense as we came over the summit on the descent but, since I am a master distract-er we avoided a meltdown!
It was really a great surprise to a day I didn't expect to be so cool when I woke up!
It is close by and thats nice:) if you live in tucson. Driving out there i was really confused cause i couldnt see anything that looked like it could have snow. But then you get into a valley and there you go!
It is also very cheap. In this case however you get what you pay for. Grooming consists of shoveling ice from the hill down onto the trail. :(
The rental equipment is pretty abysmal, so come here if you are bringing your own equipment. No...I'm seriously...like the boots are coming apart, the boards have giant pieces of wood missing, the bindings are seemingly from another century...
tip: come early or be forced to park far from the resort!!
Southern arizona's only place to ski and snowboard. Â extremely small compared to the ones in california, big bear or tahoe (take your pick) but it gets the job done. Â they have rentals there so if you didn't bring your board, no prob. Â the lifts are okay, could be better but not dangerous by any means. has a cafe in case you didn't bring any sandwiches or snacks. Â
overall, if you wanna ski in the desert, mt lemmon does the job
Can't wait for the lemmon to open. Â When there's snow it is amazing! Â Unfortunately there are many yrs where it just can't open...because we live in the desert (remember). Â Last season was banner. Â They had as much snow as Squaw Vally and I got in trouble at work for taking too many snow/sick days lol. Â Ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon; Â livin' the dream!
Review Source:We visited Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley during the summer months... so I can't comment on the ski season. But I can say that we had a great time here without snow. This is such a nice escape from the desert heat and we truly felt as though we were in another part of the country. During the summer the gift shop is open and you can purchase tickets to ride the ski lift to the top of the mountain. I think the tickets were $7 each, but we used the Groupon we snagged earlier this year.
The ride to the top was so peaceful and relaxing. I think it was about 10-15 mins each way. The view of the valley below is spectacular. We wanted to hike around at the top but had trouble finding a good trail--next time we will ask the ski lift operator.
There is also a sit down restaurant on-site, but I can't speak for it. There are only porta-potties available for use at the ski lift... I can't imagine that is super user-friendly while donning ski gear in the winter. If you are looking for a true ski resort this probably isn't your place.
The name says it all ... Mt Lemmon, i knew it would be enjoyable but simple, compared to places like mammoth in California. The giant cookies are good up here and so is a little sledding and such but don't waste your time on the lift unless you jar want to catch some views. The drive there takes long due to old grannies driving Rv's so leave early!
And tucsonans should be ashamed of themselves I'm only the third person to review this place and I'm from LA !
We went to this restaurant specifically for the pie because we were told by several people that is was the best pie around. Boy were we in for a disappointment. The eating area (plastic tables and chairs under a tarp) were dirty and there were flies everywhere. Among my family, we had 4 different kinds of pie and none of them were impressive and could have easily come from a box in the freezer section of the supermarket.
Review Source:I can say without question, that in my opinion Mt. Lemmon is HORRIBLE - especially for beginners. The staff in my experience is incredibly rude, and seem like they would rather be someplace, anyplace else. The facilities are like something out of the poorest Developing Nation. NO RESTROOMS FOR CHANGING, AND IN FACT, NO PLUMBING AT ALL!!! YOU MUST USE A PORT-A-JOHN IN THE PARKING LOT! Â You can change in the restaurant across the street - if you are a paying customer. Save your money, or take the time to drive to Snowbowl or Sunrise. Sure, Mt. Lemmon is the only game in town, so they can afford to act like jerks - just be ready to deal with it.
Review Source:Ski in Southern Arizona??!?!?!?
$*QE*R&@Q@?
Yes my friends - Mt Lemmon is high enough (9157 ft) to be graced with snow now and again - and there is a sweet ski lift to access the top of the slopes.
And it remains open during the hotter months to serve as a cool ride over the mountain!!
I felt like I was in Switzerland - and was almost expecting to see Heidi running bare-footed under my seat...
Old-fashioned, incredibly slow but so, so fun!!
Go there during the Oktoberfest and grab a beer and a sausage afterward!!
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