SCARIEST Mountain Road in Arizona? - Mt. Lemmon Scenic Highway
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Mt.Lemmon Scenic highway is located northeast of Tucson Arizona in the Santa Catalina Mountain range and it is one of the most scenic drives in the southwest. It goes by many names such as Catalina Highway, Sky Island Scenic byway and General Hitchcock Highway.
Today we attempt to drive up the mountain and I'll tell you about its history.
For some, this may not not be an easy drive due to all the sharp turns and sheer cliffs, but its a drive you will not forget. I even saw a very unusual creature on my drive!
#arizona #fyp #scary
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In 1973 - 1975 I used to drive up there just to get away from the heat and rat race below. That beautiful mountain was introduced to me by my friend (Lydia Smith) and Mt. Lemon became my favorite getaway spot in Arizona for that reason. The view of the valley is just awesome and when we first went up there, it was in winter and there was not a person around to be seen. Great Arizona wonder.
Sounds like you got to experience a truly magical time up there!
I went to the university from 1972 to 1977. Perhaps we passed each other on the road to Mt. Lemmon.
I was in Phoenix AZ in 74-75 and made one trip up this road. It was about 90 when we left Phoenix and almost 100 when we got to Tucson. At the top of Mt. Lemon it was 45 and spitting sleet. Awe inspiring views from up there.
Hey Jessie, lived in Tucson for 12 years. Did this drive so many times. Winter favorite activity was loading a cooler full of snowballs and dragging them back down to town for street fights 😂
Haha! I love that you used to drag snowballs back down to town!
When I lived in Tucson my favorite Christmas Day activity with friends was to drive to the top have a snowball fight build a snowman then return home to the valley floor and have a BBQ and relax around the pool.
Lmfaooo!👌🤣👍👉❤️nice!
Nice video. I live in Tucson and drive up Mt. Lemmon (no need to say highway) several times during the summer. Can get there in about an hour, good to pack some snacks and water. Temps are about 20 degrees less than in town. The road goes further up than where this video ends, there's a small ski resort (on those rare occasions when we get enough snow), past the ski lifts the road narrows and you end up at a nice parking area with some great views and trails to hike. Remember when driving, the many pull-outs along the road are designed so you can easily pull off the road and let the cars behind pass. It's a beautiful drive.
Hey thank you for sharing!!! and yes!! always pull over and let other pass if you see a line of cars behind you lol
At the top is a Wastewater Treatment plant. They had some issues, and I had to drive a tanker truck up there to vacuum a load out of there. Driving up in a semi was very slow, and coming down with a load of "liquid" you wouldn't have been able to drive a needle in my rear with a sledgehammer I was puckering so bad. Tanks for another great video Jessie.
The mountain is named after Sara Allen Plummer Lemmon a botanist originally from California. There is an excellent biography written recently by Tucson resident Wynne Brown about her fascinating life.
That’s really cool!!!
My papa Bob (Robert Rose) was a foreman and oversaw a lot of the construction of that highway and helped with the big bridge. He was a Vietnam vet and I miss him dearly. RIP papa Bob
We take the grandkids to the top to ride the ski lift in the off season. Beautiful!
Awesome!!!
Jessie, love your vids! I commented on the one from Fish Creek Hill, when I used to drive my full size Chevy truck pulling my 16 ft Glastron boat, praying that no one was coming the opposite direction. Now I see your great video for Mt Lemmon! I used to live there it was about 1987, I worked for Jackie and Jerry Groch who owned the Alpine Inn, I tended bar, waitressed, got the 6 rooms cleaned and ready for Octoberfest and other weekends, washed dishes, Bear and Uncle Dave were the cooks. My place was in the top room where I used to put my Jagermeister in the snow outside the door to keep cold. Been on the ski lift in the summer, been to the Iron Door, not sure if that's still there. Shopped at the Living Rainbow gift shop with all her cool gnomes, so sad everything burned. This was all before the fire that took most everything. Don't recognize it any more. Many memories, also went down the backside through San Manuel several times, all with limited guardrails I imagine, and no cell phones. The bar had a slide up sash style window where the raccoons would come and grab marshmallows we put on the plate for them. When lived in Tucson, my late husband and I rode our motorcycles up there, and had to return when it started to snow. We also fished in Canyon Rose Lake. Lived there as they were updating the highway road and dealt with several closures, we couldn't come down unless we came the back way. Wow those were the days, you bring back fond memories of Mt Lemmon and Apache Lake for me. Thank you!
The Iron Door is definitely still there!!! Jessie, next time you go up you have to stop by the Iron Door for some great food, beautiful views, and amazing desserts!!!
I will do just that! going back there again in a few weeks!
oh how awesome!! I enjoyed reading your story! I always thought it would be cool to live up in the mountains! and yes, gotta love fish creek, that road can be a curse or a blessing depending on how you look at it, thanks again for checking out the video!
Awsome!
I've camped up there....
Great Times !!!
I bet it was amazing!!!
Qe buenos videos están espectaculares 😊😊
AWESOME!!!!!! ...DID YOU SEE ANY COYOTES & ROAD RUNNERS?!
lol not on this trip!
Nice! Unfortunately I remember the Aspen Fire back in 03. you’d look up at the mountains from Tucson and it was on fire for like a month!👎😬
Yup, remember that. After that is when they rebuilt Summerhaven to how you saw in the video. That's also why you saw a bunch of dead trees in some of the shots, especially from the northern side. The mountains burned down again back in 2019. You could see the mountains glowing at night from the fires.
@DJGRoc I remember those fires. We lived just below Snyder Road and at night when I saw how far down the fire was getting I thought we should pack the car to leave. The sky was black from smoke all day for several days. The fire crew were based at Sabino Canyon High School.
@@phyllist118 I lived off Pantano & Wrightstown at the time. You could see the smoke during the day, & smell it all night. I thought Ventana Canyon was gonna burn down.
Majority of the off roads are way more terrifying haha but this route was long and enjoyable. Loved the transition
👍
Looks like a great drive. And that cookie looked heavenly 😋
the cookie was AMAZING!!!!!
Love Mount Lemon
heck yea
I drive through there almost everyday! And I love it!👌🥰👉❤️ is my sanctuary! Then I take the control road off road down to San Manuel and Oracle. In the summer months only! During the winter months the control road is closed for safety reasons.
nice!
I was stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in the 60s and Mount Lemon was a weekend getaway! The road was 2-lane but well maintained. Never felt dangerous! Beautiful views and excellent turn-offs!
thank you for sharing!
fabulous road with great views. Thanks for sharing. New subscriber my friend 👍👍
Hey No problem!! thanks for checking out the video!!!
I haven't driven it, but I have ridden a motorcycle up there twice and really enjoyed it. 😊
Faster than dollar bills at a strip club. Drier than my mouth on 4/20. Love this guy!
Lol, i couldn't resist!
Next time you come up here, look for the sign "Geology Vista". Around the next curve, there is a large arch on the left.
will do!
Tent camped at General Hitchcock campground 2yrs ago. Beautiful. Enjoyed the road and views. Used it has a home base to go to Saguaro NP and Organ Pipe NM. Will go back. Was there in the spring and all the Cacti were in bloom as people were still skiing at Mt Lemon. I will go back lol
Spectacular drone shots. Thanks for posting this.
hey no problem, thank you for checking out the video!
About 50 years ago my union hall in San Francisco sent me out to a job without telling me the elevation! It was 101° when I left San jose, when I got to 11,500 ft, there was two feet of snow on the ground much to my surprise! Fortunately I started on a Thursday and had the weekend off to buy warmer clothes! That was the only job I was ever on where the foreman told me "to take it easy," because of the elevation! From sea level to 11000 ft, the temperature dropped 83°! It was only 17° when I got there!
thank you for sharing!!!!
Another awesome video, such beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing. 😁
Hey, thank you so much, I appreciate you checking out the video!
My wife and I stayed in the cabins up in summerhaven as a "get away from the heat" summer trip for a few nights. It lead me to find a really nice trail that leads directly into summerhaven and connects to the first pullout on the right as if you were going down the mountian from summerhaven. Genuinely an awe inspiring vista on that trail.
Ski area is actually nice.
Drove it all the time for an escape when I attended the UofA a long long time ago...
nice!
Well done sir, I had to share your channel with someone else who lives in New Mexico. I told her I love your narration style and how you had just uploaded your trip from Alaska.
Hey thanks!! Appreciate you sharing the channel!...oh alaska!! I really want to go back up there!...thanks again for checking out the video!! 👍
1st Time Seeing You Channel . 100* rating . A lot of work I see , Thank you, for allowing us to travel along ..
hey!! and welcome!!! glad you enjoyed the video and I appreciate you coming along for the adventure!...thank you so much!!
You should've stopped at the General Store for some homemade fudge! 👍🏼
next time!
Great video. Beautiful drive.
Hey thank you so much! I've been putting this one off for a while!
Boa tarde
Passando pra prestigiar aquele super Like Tmj
THANK YOU!!!!! 👍🙏
Not scary anymore. They did major road project in the late 70' into the 80' widening and improving the road. I've traveled up this road over 100+ times. Seen almost every Animal, Rodent, and bird. Camped with skunks one night. I've hiked almost every trail, and visited numerous old mine sites, still there is so much more to see still. Check out the back side road leading down past the gold mine, and onward to Pepersause Cave. 4x4 sometimes needed on both front and back. I even got to hand grass to a mouse that was lining her den. Sat there and she would pop up, Id had her the grass and she woud take it down into her nest. You will find areas that have cars wrecked that went off the road. If you like wild edible plants and shrubs and berries, you can find some here. Mushrooms too, but always be careful what you gather. Some deadly one grow up here.
Scary??? I rode my bicycle up they road twice! It's a beautiful hwy.....
I can see why you think it's beautiful, that drive is amazing!
I miss that drive and going up there. There's a lot of interesting stuff too. A crashed jet that's still there, Mt Bigelow with all the radio towers (you used to be able go up in the lookout tower if someone was there), the observatory above Ski Valley.
I drove the old road down in a Ford Ranger years ago. No idea if you still could. It takes you down to Oracle by Peppersauce Canyon and Caves.
It's a great part of Tucson. Just any holiday weekend or when there's snow the traffic is insane.
that crashed jet would be fun to hike too!!
The back road is still open, but requires 4WD to go up & back. In the winter, chains are required.
@DJGRoc I know it always said 4wd required. But is it actually needed? I did it years ago without it and no issues. No idea what the conditions are now. This was at least 15 years ago.
@@JLAracing It's pretty rough last I knew. Been a few years though.
That is pretty rare to spot coatimundi. And I have been up to Mt. Lemon , literally hundreds of times over 40 years. Have seen wild Turkeys , Alberts squirrel, Golden Eagles, deer, bear, Mt. Lion, Ravens, 8 types of hummingbird, but only saw coatimundi once and that was on Mt Wrightson near Green Valley. Next time you go up look for Bear Wallow , The ski lift and restaurant, and the palisades Visitor center, Rose canyon Campground has a dam pond to fish, start no latter than 9:30, there is also a paid tour for the observatories.
thank you!!
@kennethbolton951 we lived off Soldier Trail near Agua Caliente Wash for 25 years. I saw one coatimundi, on our property just walking casually by while I was sitting out on the patio. Couldn't believe my eyes.
Been on motorcycle rides on several Sky Islands back in the 90's & early double-ought's. Mt. Lemon is good for winter snow rides because modern conveniences and services. Favorite primitive Sky Island ride, Mt. Graham, SE of Safford. Maybe not so primitive now... You need to do Route 666, now 191, I-10 to Safford or vice versa!! BTW, Coatimundi's respond to, "Here kitty kitty. Here kitty kitty."
Thats what a Rat with a big member says.😊
lol, I will try that next time I see a coatimundi!!
Those Coatimundis taste like squirrel but even chewier.
lol
Thank you for taking me along on another awesome road trip. Wow, what a cookie! Merry Christmas Jessie to you and yours.
Hey, your absolutely welcome!!! and yea, what a cookie!! but it was amazing!!! Merry Christmas!!! 🎅🎄❄️
If you think the cat hwy is "scary", try to travel the backside (northside) of Lemmon. The backside is brutal.
would love to do that in a future video!
This road is not bad. Try the old dirt road from Roosevelt Lake to Tortilla Flats, this road has pucker power. Narrow dirt road, no guardrails and several one lane blind hairpin turns.
well done you go to all the places i cant and bring out hidden facts ..............so good at commentary
hey thank you!!! and I will continue to do so! I got a lot of amazing places coming in the future!
I've worked on the broadcast towers on Mt Lemmon
nice!
Jesse, nice video! Those mountain roads are a little scary. However, when you drive those mountain roads in Norway and Switzerland you'll want to be wearing your Depends for sure.
lol
What you need to do is the backside of Mt. Lemmon .. way more fun and scenic .. bring your 4x4
That would make for a great video!!
@@jessiesdroneadventures74644WD definitely needed! ✌🏼
Jesse! Two snaps in a Z formation for another great video 🫰🏼😃🫰🏼 I'm doing this drive next week - thanks for the recommendation and keep flyin' dude bro 🥏
Fine people: Like, subscribe and go outside!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I appreciate that! and yes! I will definitely keep on flying!! thanks again for those kind words!!!
There is a reason why the Mt. Lemmon highway is posted at 25MPH.
Nah the scariest one is definitely the drive up Mt Hopkins to Whipple Observatory
I marked the Cookie Cabin as a place to visit on my map, if I ever get back to the Southwest part of the states.
Need to check the Mt. Lemmon General Store while you're there also. It's literally across the street from the Cookie Cabin.
heck yea!
I have driven the Mount Lemon Highway. It would be scary if you’re afraid of heights or curvy roads. However, it’s a very well-built road well-banked, and with good guardrails, so I had absolutely no problems. I have been on much worse roads.
Lived in Az since ‘61 and have never been to Mt Lemmon!
what! you gotta go!
Man, that's like sacrilege! Definitely worth it in the summer time. 30 miles away & 30 degrees cooler. ✌🏼
Some of the commentary was so out of pocket, I love it😂
Lol thank you!
Hi Jessie I just found your channel! Have you checked out the Drake Cement area? Heard weird things about the area
I havent checked it out....havent heard of it though either....but i can look into it!....thank you for checking out the video!
We head up there a few times a summer to beat the Phoenix heat. The first time, right after we moved here form Indiana, I nearly shit my britches. Like a, pull over and call an uber type situation. It get's easier after a few trips.
nice!
scary? hype
I dont believe its on the same road but is known as Mt Lemmon Ski Resort. Its the southernmost ski resort in the United States.
thank you for sharing!
Same mountain, same road. There's a fork in the road, just before reaching Summerhaven that'll take you up to Ski Valley as we call it. There's even a quaint little restaurant up there. You can even ride the ski lift to the peak in the summer time usually. Amazing views! ✌🏼
Smoke break? That does not sound like a great idea... Oh, old school, nevermind...still not a good idea... This is a road I will ride one day, soon.
hope you get to ride it one day, its an amazing ride!
If GHH scares you then vanilla ice cream is spicy to you.
A decent video but a little over hyped as far as difficulties and danger. Even the cars and pickups of early to mid 60s didn't have problems (unless they were pulling campers etc). Even some trips in early 2000s were not problematic. Definitely worth the visit and camping (much more bear problems in the early 2000s visit than the 60s when camping with scouts or attending summer camps.
I can’t see my house from the lookout. 😂 la cholla rd, near Oro valley.
Took this drive a couple of years ago with a friend and man oh man...yea, I had to pull over a couple of times to relieve the stress cuz of the turns and the height...got beautiful photos...land oved those cookies and pizza! We went during November and got to see a very small waterfall at one of those pull overs, along with bright red and yellow trees at that spot...a few others had autumn colors.
And how wild that you saw those animals at the end! I just saw one for the 1st time, 1st time I've even heard of it, when I visited the Boyce Thompson Arbetorum...wild!
I cant believe I saw them either, I just happen to look at the right place at the right time!! so amazing!!
Scariest? My boy and I go up that every other week at around 50😂
It's beautiful.
The main danger is from people who have vacation homes up there. There's a small set of those, grandfathered in and owned by Somebodies. They've driven that road a hundred times, they know every turn, they drive fast expensive cars at the limit, and they aren't in the habit of being patient for anyone because that's not how they got to be Somebodies.
“Scariest Mountain Road in Arizona?” Well you are from Phoenix
live there....no from
@@jessiesdroneadventures7464 Phoenix has the worst drivers. Very aggressive and dangerous. Yes I lived there for a few years, don’t miss anything about Arizona.
A beautiful drive, but it gets ruined by all the cops that hide along the entire drive. Not too mention all the bicyclists you have to avoid.
@@AZTUC_520 cops? In 25 years, driving up and down usually at least several times a month, we never saw a cop on that road.
Check your o2 (oxygen) sensor and filter. Bet that will cure your engine light.
will do! thank you!
The amount of ads are ridiculous.
I know
Of course .... its better on a harley
I bet!
When I was there the road was not that good. This was back in the early 70's , I went there with my Church group. From What learned there was a fire up there after I moved from Az. to my home state of Mn.
thank you for sharing!
Yeah, the mountain catches fire every several years or so. Last time was 2019.
@@DJGRoc It has been years that I lived in Tucson. This March I am coming there for a visit.
@@AllanHunter-c2l I've been here for almost 30 years now. Can't think of a better place to live in the US. Can't stand the Phoenix area, cuz it's just too damned crowded.
Seriously? Scary road? We lived at the base of Mt. Lemmon, a few miles from the road up used to drive.up theva lot, especially in the summer, because it's 25 degrees cooler up top. Never thought it was scary. We've been on mountain roads all over the country. This road is far from scary.
More inflated headlines. There is nothing scary about Mt. Lemmon. I've climbed it twice on my bicycle.
i dont know, its pretty SCARY!!! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
I live in the west side of Tucson near the Saguaro National Monument West. We get Coatimundi that steal our oranges.
This is a beautiful drive, but it gets ruined by all the bicyclists and cops that roam the entire stretch of the drive.
and snowbirds that take their time on the road and dont pull over so others can pass!
Drive slow, enjoy the view. Dont tailgate. Make many stops. Have a tailgate picnic.
Scariest........ not
scary??
terrifying!
@@jessiesdroneadventures7464 lol🤣
I do better if there are safety rails.
Not scary at all.
I go fishing at Rose Canyon Lake at the top multiple times a year. Half the fun of the trip is the drive...
Very cool!