Catalina Highway

Catalina Highway spans the 40 mile distance from the Sonoran Desert floor in Tucson to the village of Summerhaven near the top of Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. The Catalina Highway is also known as the General Hitchcock Highway in honor of Taft administration Postmaster General Frank Harris Hitchcock who served from 1909 to 1913 and was instrumental in bringing together the elements necessary to construct this piece of highway.

The roadway rises from about 3,000’ above sea level to approximately 9,100’. Work was begun on the roadway in 1933 using prison workers housed in a federal prison camp located at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains for the purpose. It was finally completed in 1950. It is the only paved highway to the upper reaches of the Santa Catalina Mountains. It was recently designated as one of America’s National Scenic Byways and named the "Sky Island Scenic Byway". Recent improvements following the Aspen Fire in 2003 have made the trip an easy "Sunday Drive" for residents of Tucson seeking to escape the summer heat of the desert.

In under an hour, this scenic drive from Tucson leaves the saguaro cacti, mesquite trees, and cholla plants of the Sonoran Desert, passes through stands of oak, juniper, and pinyon pine, enters pine forests at about 7,000 feet, then fir and aspen on the cooler, north-facing slopes above 8,000 feet. With some humor the trip has sometimes been referred to as a drive from Mexico to Canada in less than an hour.

The beautiful, curving road is a favorite drive for tourists, for locals escaping summer's heat, and for motorcyclists. The highway has been improved recently. Following this improvement the speed limit was reduced to 35 MPH (56 km/h) for most of the road up the mountain.

In the winter the road is often closed following snowfalls at the higher elevations. The only persons permitted on the road at those times are Summerhaven residents with snow chains on their wheels or four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Travel on the highway is free with a National Parks Pass if it has a hologram or if you have one of the Golden Eagle, Age, or Access passes; otherwise there is a $5/day, $10/week, or $20/year per vehicle fee. The fee is only applicable if you plan on stopping. Travel to Summerhaven or Ski Valley does not require the purchase of the pass. The recreation passes also include same-day visits to Sabino Canyon and Madera Canyon. Passes can be purchased from a booth at Mile 5.1 on the Catalina Highway, the entry booth at Sabino Canyon, as well as from Sabino Canyon Visitor Center, Palisades Visitor Center, and some other vendors. Cyclists do not require a pass.