Mount Lemmon Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

Name: Mount Lemmon Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
Brand: City Balloon Tours
SKU: 576179
Price: 14.44 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.87 (82 reviews)

82 Reviews |

Recommended by 99% of reviewers

Badge of Excellence | Tucson, USA

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2 to 3 hours (approx.)

Mobile ticket

Offered in: English

Instant confirmation

Overview

Discover Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway in Arizona, a journey through nature and history. Explore tales of the Native Tohono O'odham, marvel at the Sky Islands and Saguaro Cacti, and delve into the past at the Catalina Federal Honor Camp. By night, the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center dazzles, and fall, the Oktoberfest at Ski Valley awaits. Experience Arizona's condensed beauty.

Recommended: purchase one tour per car. Everyone can listen at the same time!

After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.

What's Included

Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.
Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.

No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.

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Meeting Location

Meeting point

9070 East Catalina Highway
Tucson, AZ 85749, USA

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Detailed check-in instructions, including the exact address, are provided with your booking confirmation.

End point

9800 East Ski Run Road
Mt Lemmon, AZ 85619, USA

This tour ends beside Mt. Lemmon Sky Center Observatory.

What To Expect

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Our secure website provides real-time availability, instant confirmation, and free, no-hassle cancellations up to 24 hours before your tour begins.

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Soldier Trail

Soldier Trail is up ahead. This challenging 5-mile out-and-back hike features Saguaro, prickly pears, and a 2,000-foot elevation gain!Note: The tour is over 30+ miles long, with more than 44 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete.New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Babad Do'ag Scenic Overlook

Babad Do’ag Scenic Overlook is coming up soon. This vista overlooks the entire city of Tucson and the mountains beyond. The Babad Do’ag trail also begins here. It’s a moderate 4.5-mile hike through Saguaros, chollas, and ocotillos.

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway (pass by)

One of the most fascinating features about this highway is how the climate changes as we drive. From start to finish, it’ll feel like we’ve driven vertically across the entire US, from south to north. Why is that? Because we’ll be gaining 6,000 feet of elevation along the way!

Molino Canyon Vista

Molino Canyon is one of many boulder-filled canyons in the Catalina Mountains. At this elevation of about 4,000 feet, the mountain’s ecosystem is starting to change. Both at the overlook and the mountain it faces, you’ll see the earth covered in native grasses, tall spindly ocotillo, tufted desert broom, and a colorful flowering shrub called pink fairy duster.

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Molino Basin Trail Head

This easy 5-mile out-and-back trail is relatively flat, which makes it a great place to break out the mountain bike if you’ve got one. It’s also an excellent path for trail runners. If you’re walking the trail, it should only take a little over two hours.

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Bug Spring Trailhead

This challenging 10-mile out-and-back trail takes five hours and has a little bit of everything. The route starts in the desert terrain of the Catalina foothills, switchbacks up to a secluded pine forest with creek crossings, and ends in the Bear Canyon Picnic Area. The total elevation gain across the path is 2,000 feet, enough to feel the atmosphere get thinner and the temperature get cooler.

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Thimble Peak Vista

Speaking of birds, get a bird’s eye view of the canyon up ahead at Thimble Peak Vista! This overlook offers a clear view of Thimble Peak. When you see it, you’ll know right away where it gets its name. The top of the mountain is shaped exactly like a giant sewing thimble… only it’s over 5,000 feet high!

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Seven Cataracts

The Seven Cataracts are a series of waterfalls that pour from the Willow Canyon stream. From top to bottom, the entire complex is about 1,000 feet high! It’s not a straight drop, though. The water tumbles from rock to rock in a cascade formation. Despite the name “Seven Cataracts,” it’s more like a hundred mini waterfalls in one!

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Middle Bear Picnic Area

Did you pack your sandwiches? We’re about to pass one of the highway's best picnic spots! The Middle Bear picnic area sits alongside Bear Canyon, comfortably sheltered by ponderosa pines. You can see the rest of the canyon below. On the opposite slope, you’ll see a strange sculpture garden created by erosion and landslides.

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Manzanita Vista

Manzanita Vista is up ahead, offering views of a lush manzanita grove. You can identify manzanita by their smooth, bright red bark and gnarled branches. Manzanitas are prolific here because they can survive with poor soil and little water. They have adapted to the harshest growing conditions, and so they have absolutely no competition from other plants.

5 minutes Admission Ticket Free

Windy Point Vista

The view at Windy Point is unbeatable. You can see all the way from the desert at the base of the mountain to the subalpine summit. You’ll get to take in the entire biodiversity of Mount Lemmon in one panorama!