Mt. Lemmon / Meadow and Aspen Draw Trail - do NOT take the Aspen trail!

Wonderful, cool ride. Seven miles with the uphill mostly on asphalt. Single track for almost all of the return downhill. This is a loop you will probably want to do twice. Ride it, eat, and ride it again. It is 30 degrees cooler than the Tucson basin and feels all of it. 8,000 to 9,000 ft. elevation so the air is a lot thinner and you will most definitely take notice of this. The uphill on the little used road to the Observatory is fairly tough. The single track has some technical challenges (logs, wet roots, tree stumps, switchbacks, etc.) but it is rideable by an intermediate who is cautious. If you are out of shape, blow this ride off.

DIRECTIONS: Take the Mt. Lemmon Highway to the top (Summerhaven) and park in the dirt parking area on your right as you enter the village. Get on your bike and head back the way you came in to the turn to the Mt. Lemmon Ski area and go left. Take this road to the Observatory on the top of the mountain. Take the trail from the parking area at left of the gate on the road into the obsorvatory. The trail is at the west end of the lot. It's a short climb, roughly parallel to the road and then a slight downhill. Bear to the right at an intersection and skirt the south side of the observatory. You'll encounter some rocks and roots on the singletrack, but it's rideable. You will come out on a jeep road. Turn left and follow the road, climbing back towards the observatory. When you return to the parking area, find the trail dropping down to the south, and take it a short distance to a gate on the road that goes behind the ski area (This is close to the road you came up.) Follow that road about a quarter mile and look for a trail on the left. This is the Aspen Draw Trail (do NOT go on the Aspen Trail!).

1- Turn LEFT onto the Aspen Draw Trail not right onto the Aspen Trail

2 - Our group at the summit

3 - Tony with his wonderful dogs (came with us on the entire ride)

4 - Doug on the trail

5 - Glen on the trail

6 - Aspen Draw trail shot

7- There are MANY switchbacks, water bars, and log crossings on the trailMAP

Map of Mt. Lemmon

Elevation profile