< Left Panel   Arizona Passes and Summits   Areas   Tables   Maps   All Favorites   Main Panel:   Main Page   Map+Profile   Arizona Map

Mt Lemmon Rd via FR4450

1.START-END NORTH:jct Veterans Memorial Hwy - Black Mine Rd 2.profile turns west up Webb Rd 3.route turns south onto Mt Lemmon Rd. 4.Peppersauce group campground 5.lower Mt Lemmon Rd s(u) 6.Mt Lemon Rd via FR4450(sh)-4960ft 7.START-END SOUTH:low point on Black Mine Rd, before reaching jct with Veterans Memorial Hwy

Approaches

From North. The profile does not go over the lower approach of Mt Lemon Rd on Az77. Instead it climbs to the Mt Lemon Rd via beautiful, paved and traffic free Webb Rd from north of Manuel, a much better cycling option. Once on Mt Lemon Rd, it first turns out to be a well behaved road, with exclamatory surface, for now even paved.

But the only reason the road behaves so well is the Peppersauce pay - campground. After that, all bets are off, and the rocks are plentiful, though yet somewhat limited in size. Traversing now on a fairly rough road on this high alluvial fan with grandiose mountains in both directions, and limitless plains of cacti are a very scenic experience. To get across a low wash the road drops 400ft only to climb 300 back up, just to drop more than 500ft from the first high point. This fact makes the first point a lower summit point on FR38. So much for the description of a point that really belongs into a separate page.

FR38 now seems to have found the canyon it wants to ascend direction Mt Lemmon. Surprisingly the surface becomes somewhat better as the road curves around the lower grassy hills, below a plainly visible road cut above. The jct with FR4450 is signed, and the highest point. The real climbing and the traverses of FR38 to the Mt Lemmon Highway are still far above.

        

From South. (described downwards) This descend has a few uphills in it too. But going up, I think this is a more efficient way to get to this shoulder point, or higher points on Mt Lemmon, even if this side contains no pavement. The first steep downhill leads into a short protected canyon with lots of shade, followed by an equally short climb onto a gentle ridge with great views in 270 degrees. In order to stay somewhere near the top of this alluvial fan roof, the road exercises in more small ups and downs. Even though the descend is fast and straight, it still requires time for the scenery to change. But slowly the Galuro Mtns to the east take on more detail in the ever so slight haze. The cacti on the slanted plains in the distance become countable, while the Catalina Mtns behind turn more and more into a distant flat black cutout. Before reconnecting to pavement of the Veterans Memorial Highway, the road has to accomplish a 90 degree change of direction to the north. It does this with two switchbacks, in order to cross on more dessert wash. The rest is a straight roller coaster with a small elevation loss heading north.