The Mount Lemmon Hotel is one of the newest places to stay on beautiful Mount Lemmon.
It’s a small row of small cabins found right in the heart of Summerhaven, offering superb location to guests.
In this article, I’ll give you a detailed review of our recent hotel stay so you’ll know exactly what to expect.
Table of Contents
Booking the Mount Lemmon Hotel
The base rate for the Mount Lemmon Hotel in the summer is around $145 per night. But with the cleaning fee and taxes and fees you’re looking at closer to about $217 per night.
If you’re staying on a weekend there is a minimum two night stay requirement so you need to keep that in mind. Also, these cabins booked pretty quickly for weekends in the summer so that is something else to know.
They do offer a few pet friendly cabins (that come with mini pet yards) but those were filled up by the time we made a booking so our pup had to stay home for this one.
Check out the Mount Lemmon Ultimate Guide!
The area: Summerhaven
The Mount Lemmon Hotel is located in Summerhaven, which is the main “town” on top of Mount Lemmon.
It’s more of a neighborhood which works in favor of the hotel because you are only a minute or two walk away from places like the:
- Sawmill Run Restaurant
- General Store
- Cookie Cabin
Also, on weekends in the summer they have the Summerhaven Fair which goes on next door to the hotel. You can find different types of crafts, souvenirs, and some light bites like kettle corn, roasted corn, and various types of fungi. It’s definitely worth a stroll.
And just five minutes away in Ski Valley you’ve got the Iron Door where you can dine under aspens while taking in a big breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Be sure to catch the ski lift when you’re there, too.
Tip: Pretty much all of the stores and restaurants close relatively early in Summerhaven so make sure you are aware of open and close times.
As for hiking, you’re only minutes away from some amazing hiking trails like the Sunset Trail, Marshal Gulch and Aspen Loop, and others.
While Mount Lemmon is much cooler than the city of Tucson below some of the trails can still get a little warm during the day so I think morning and evening hikes are fantastic out here during the summer.
Some of the trails have been impacted by recent fires so there still may be some large burn zones and maybe even some trail closures but there is no shortage of amazing scenery found along the trails near the top of Mount Lemmon.
This is also the perfect hotel to stay at if you were doing one of the astronomy nights at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter. You’ll only have to drive about six or seven minutes back to your cabin late at night as opposed to driving all the way back down the mountain.
Mount Lemmon Hotel cabin
There is parking located behind the cabins and each cabin has a single parking space available to it.
You’ll know which parking space is yours because it will be marked on the curb. There are also are a couple of guest parking spots which can be occupied by anyone.
Having your own exclusive parking space is extremely valuable on a busy weekend when parking can be a little difficult to find.
The drawback is that they still don’t have a way to enforce when members of the public take your parking spot which is something that happened to us a couple of times.
The good thing about this hotel is that you can always text them and you’ll receive a response very quickly. So if an issue ever arises like you can’t find parking or you have an issue with your cabin you have a bit of a hotline to customer service which is really great.
You have a little bit of breathing room between the cabins and you have access to a grill if needed.
I loved the baby pine and fir trees growing on the side of the cabins and can’t wait for them to get bigger over the years.
Each cabin has a nice little shaded patio with a bench, table, and a handy shovel which you may need to use if you’re staying in the winter.
There is no lobby to check in and instead you will be given a pass code to use to lock and unlock your door.
Basically, you just enter the code and then hit the check mark and that is how you unlock it. And then to lock it you hit another button in the corner. It’s a very convenient system.
Inside, you’ll find a coat rack and a mat to put your snowy or muddy boots on.
You have a little table with four chairs which is also the maximum number of guests you can have.
In the corner by the table you’ll find a power outlet that also has USB ports.
There’s another power outlet near the sofa but no open power outlets by the main bed (only USB ports on the alarm clock).
On the opposite side is the sofa with the pull out bed. In some cabins, this will be a bunkbed.
The cabin is pretty open with the bed folded up but it does get a bit cramped whenever you unfold the queen bed which is expected.
As far as comfort, I found the pull out bed to be pretty standard with what you would expect but I was still able to get some decent sleep for a couple of nights on it.
There is a heater which comes in the form of an artificial fireplace. While temperatures did drop into the 40s at night, we did not feel the need to use the heater but this would certainly come in handy in the winter.
There’s also a ceiling fan you can use to help you keep cool in the summer. The temperature controls are on the wall and you can always open your windows for a breeze if you’d like as well.
The bed is definitely on the firm side so if that is the type of mattress you like you will really love your bed. There’s also a large armoire for you to hang up your clothes or fold them up right next to the bed.
If you brought suitcases you can probably slide them under the bed.
You have a good sized TV to watch in your room and you can extend the TV out so that people in the bed have a better view.
They currently have it set up with a Roku and they have accounts you can access for Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu.
It also has a connection to DIRECTV so you’ll have plenty of TV options. If you don’t know how to navigate these things, they have some instructions which come in handy.
The cabin also comes equipped with Wi-Fi and you’ll see your password for connecting once you get in the cabin.
Here’s a look at the TV extended out.
Each cabin has a well equipped kitchen area complete with a refrigerator/freezer, microwave, and oven.
The only thing missing from the mix would be a dishwasher but there is still plenty of counter space and a large enough sink to easily wash dishes by hand.
Inside the cabinets you can find cups, bowls, plates, mugs, etc.
You can also find a coffee maker, electric can opener, and toaster, along with a couple of packets of hot chocolate and coffee.
The bathroom area is pretty spacious and well designed.
The toilet room has some cabinets inside with storage capacity and has a private door partition from the rest of the bathroom which also has a door that divides the main cabin from the bathroom. So despite the tight space, you can get plenty of privacy in the bathroom.
There’s a large counter area with an outlet and the bathroom is well lit thanks to a large window that looks out to the mountain top above.
The shower is very spacious although the showerhead is a bit small (a waterfall showerhead would’ve been amazing here). The hot water did start cooling down quicker than we anticipated so you may not want to take super long showers on your stay.
They provide soap, shampoo, and conditioner. I don’t think I have ever used green conditioner before but these are pretty quality amenities so you don’t feel the need to bring your own.
Final word
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed staying two nights at the Mount Lemmon Hotel.
It’s really hard to beat the location which is in walking distance of everything you need and just a short drive away from key attractions like the best trailheads and Ski Valley/the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter.
I think the cabins are just the right size for you to enjoy those cozy vibes without feeling too cramped and the bathrooms were very modern and clean. The only thing I think they need to improve upon is the parking situation so that guests always have a place to park.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.