Marshall Gulch trailhead closes for major Mount Lemmon reconstruction

Marshall Gulch Picnic Area and Trailhead will close July 6 through July 26, cutting off the main Mount Lemmon starting point for Marshall Gulch Trail No. 3, Sunset Trail No. 90 and Aspen Trail No. 93. Picnic and restroom facilities will stay closed during the work.

The closure is needed for public safety while tree remediation is completed. The broader reconstruction is scheduled to run through December 2026 and will replace the old one-way dead-end layout with a loop road, two 100-year flood-designed bridges over Sabino Creek, a new restroom, replacement picnic sites and improved parking. The project site sits at about 7,500 feet at the confluence of Sabino and Marshall creeks and draws more than 160,000 visitors a year. A contracting notice puts summer vehicle traffic at over 65,000 cars from May through September. Even after the work, the parking count rises only from 30 to 32 vehicles.

Molino Basin Picnic Area, at 4,400 feet along the Sky Island Scenic Byway, has shaded ramadas, grills, a restroom and access to the Arizona National Scenic Trail. Near the crest, the Mount Lemmon Recreation Site offers shady picnic tables, summit views and hiking access, while Cypress Picnic Area off the General Hitchcock Highway adds picnic tables, grills and a restroom in the oak-to-pine transition. Cypress charges an $8 day-use fee, with passes accepted.

Pima County finished the related Sabino Canyon Park Road project in June, a $4,986,910 job that added a 75-space paved parking lot south of Summerhaven, 21 on-street spaces, a public restroom, a trail kiosk, a 5-foot-wide pathway and about half a mile of road rehabilitation.

The temporary Arizona Trail detour uses Mint Springs Trail No. 20 between East Carter Canyon Road and Marshall Saddle and shifts Arizona National Scenic Trail Passages 11 and 12, along with the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Bypass, away from Marshall Gulch.