The Catalina Highway, officially the General Hitchcock Highway, is the popular name for a Forest Highway and scenic route located in Pima County in southern Arizona. Also known as the Sky Island Scenic Byway, the Mount Lemmon Highway and Arizona Forest Highway 39, the Catalina Highway is the only paved roadway providing access to the resort village of Summerhaven as well as various recreational and scientific facilities located near the summit of Mount Lemmon. Ascending from the desert floor in Tucson to near the summit of Mount Lemmon, the short highway gains over 6,000 ft (1,800 m), showcasing a variety of climates ranging from lowland desert to alpine forests. The name sky island comes from the analogy of these mountains being like islands of forest in a sea of desert. It is designated as a scenic byway by the National Scenic Byways Program. and an Arizona Scenic Road by the Federal Highway Administration.
The Catalina Highway traverses the rugged terrain of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
The Catalina Highway is a common destination for motorcyclists.
Summerhaven is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a permanent population of 40. Summerhaven sits at an elevation of approximately 7,600 to 8,200 feet above sea level. Summerhaven is accessed via the Catalina Highway from suburban northeast Tucson, and it is about 24.5 miles (39.4 km) from the base of the mountains to Summerhaven.
The Summerhaven general store
House in Summerhaven
Burnt pine trees, snow, and a cabin among the stark landscape after the Aspen Fire in 2003