Photos: Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opens after Bighorn Fire
The Catalina Highway reopened to the general public on Saturday morning, Aug. 1, 2020.
The reopening allows vehicular access on Catalina Highway to Summerhaven and the Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley. Due to limited parking available in these areas, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department will control access to Mt. Lemmon when spaces are filled to capacity.
The surrounding Coronado National Forest remains closed due to damage from the Bighorn Fire.
A lightning strike sparked the Bighorn Fire on June 5, which burned for nearly seven weeks and covered nearly 120,000 acres.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Deymo Fernandez, left, and Sara Hernandez, look at a burn scar from the Bighorn Fire on the north side of Mount Lemmon outside the Iron Door Restaurant, 10300 E. Ski Run in Summerhaven on August 2, 2020.
Catalina Highway Reopens
The burn scar from the Bighorn Fire is shown on a portion of the north side of Mount Lemmon, as seen from the Mount Lemmon Fire Department, on Catalina Hwy. in the Santa Catalina Mountains in Ariz on August 2, 2020.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Lorena Navarro and her son Erick Navarro sit on a log inside a group of trees burnt by the Bighorn Fire near the Marshall Gulch trailhead in Summerhaven, Ariz on August 2, 2020. Coronado National Forest is closed to the public and authorities warn that forays into forest can be dangerous due to snags and debris.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Snags and charred brush remain on a section on the north side of Mount Lemmon, as seen from the Mount Lemmon Fire department, on Catalina Hwy. in the Santa Catalina Mountains in Ariz on August 2, 2020.
Catalina Highway Reopens
David Dynes and Marylyn Piña sit in some shade near burnt trees on E. Ski Run, in Summerhaven, Ariz on August 2, 2020.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A vehicle drives past a burnt tree in front of Incinerator Ridge on Catalina Hwy. in the Santa Catalina Mountains in on August 2, 2020.
Catalina Highway Reopens
To escape the heat, a family hangouts near Marshall Gulch trailhead in Summerhaven, Ariz on August 2, 2020. Coronado National Forest is closed, so people trying to escape the heat should make sure check with authorities before picnicking. Many areas of the forest are dangerous due to snags and debris in the wake of the Bighorn Fire.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A pine cone with ash stuck to sap rests on the floor near the Marshall Gulch trailhead in Summerhaven, Ariz on August 2, 2020.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Peggy Price takes a picture of a burn scar from the Bighorn Fire on the north side of Mount Lemmon outside the Iron Door Restaurant, 10300 E. Ski Run, Summerhaven, on August 2, 2020.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A truck drives up the Catalina Highway approaching Windy Vista Point, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Vehicles drive up Catalina Highway near Geology Vista Point, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burned section of the Catalina Mountains seen near Aspen Vista Point, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burnt out hilltop near the Mount Lemmon helicopter pad, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
People look at a burn scar in an area below the Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burned section of the Catalina Mountains seen near Aspen Vista Point, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Road closure below the Mount Lemmon Summit Trailheads, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burn scar near the Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Road closure below the Mount Lemmon Summit Trailheads, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burn scare seen from the Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burned section of the Catalina Mountains seen near Aspen Vista Point, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burn area can be seen northwest of Summerhaven, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burnt hillside near cabins in Summerhaven, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burnt hillside near cabins in Summerhaven, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Charred ground from the Bighorn Fire seen near the Marshal Gulch Trailhead, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Vehicles drive through Summerhaven, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
A burned section of the Catalina Mountains seen near Aspen Vista Point, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Catalina Highway Reopens
Vehicles drive up the Catalina Highway approaching Windy Vista Point, on Aug. 1, 2020. The Catalina Highway to Summerhaven opened to the general public Saturday morning for the first time since its closure due to the Bighorn Fire. The Coronado National Forest surrounding the highway still remains closed.
Josh Galemore
Photojournalist
Rebecca Sasnett
Photojournalist
Through the Slow Streets initiative, roads are reconfigured to temporarily limit them to local traffic using barricades, cones and signs to make way for all people to safely spend time outdoors while social distancing.
“These are groups or individuals that decide to take a step forward and make Arizona a better place,” an official said about the Adopt a Highway program. “They do it because they want to make a difference."
The highway from Tucson to Summerhaven was reopened last week after a closure prompted by the massive Bighorn Fire. But the Coronado National Forest on Mount Lemmon remains closed to the general public.
The Westridge Fire, in the Tortolita Mountains northwest of Tucson near Marana and Oro Valley, stood at 480 acres on Tuesday.