Kenny Darr is KGUN 9's Oro Valley reporter. Send your story ideas to Kenny at kenny.darr@kgun9.com.
A project aimed at easing long-standing parking issues on Mount Lemmon is now in its final stages, with new spaces expected to open just in time for the often busy summer season.
While parking may not be a problem on a quiet weekday, business owners and visitors say that’s far from the reality during peak times.
“Parking has bedeviled visitors to the mountain since time immemorial,” said John Osborne, owner of the Mount Lemmon Lodge. Osborne has deep roots on the mountain, spending years visiting before eventually opening the lodge. He says he’s seen firsthand how challenging things can get when crowds arrive.
“It’s very frustrating when visitors come up and find that they have to turn around. Or they park on the road and a little bit of their car is on the pavement so the sheriff has to move them along,” Osborne said. To address those issues, crews have been working since October 2025 to build a new parking area near Summerhaven. The project is expected to add nearly 100 parking spaces.
According to Pima County, the improvements include a new paved lot with about 75 spaces, additional roadside parking, a public restroom, and upgrades to Sabino Canyon Park Road. The project also includes a pathway connection tied to the Arizona Trail and is designed to reduce congestion and improve safety near the heavily used Marshall Gulch Trailhead. For Grey Carpenter, owner of the Mount Lemmon General Store, the added parking has been a long time coming.
KGUN 9 first spoke with him about the project when it was announced last November.
“And now we have some place to tell them to go park. Up until now it’s been like ‘well you know hopefully you can find some place to park on the street somewhere I don’t know what to tell you,’” Carpenter said. Crews were still working on the site this week. If things stay as scheduled, that construction zone is expected to turn into a much-needed parking area.
Both business owners say the goal is simple: making it easier for people to visit and enjoy the mountain.
“That’s a gigantic addition to parking on the mountain. And moreover it’s really convenient all the shops, stores and other things that people enjoy when they come up here,” Osborne said. “Without that additional parking, it stresses us pretty badly,” Carpenter added.
Mt Lemmon Lodge Parking Summer
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