Is there any free camping on Mt Lemmon?

Years ago, before the road was modernized, I used to be able to camp at the switch backs near the top of the road. One place was on the way to Reef of Rocks. However, now it appears that the whole mountain has been 'sanitized'and such gorilla camping is now completely gone. Is this true?

Mt Bigalow road, is that the road to the summit, or off the back side towards Oracle? Thanks, by the way, for the beta.

Tradster, you can camp all over that mountain for free. During the summer I like to camp at the summit crag parking area or Mt. Bigelow rd. Mt. Bigelow is right off the main Catalina(sp?) hwy that goes up Lemmon. I forget exactly what mile marker but it is about 3/4 the way up the mountain. Hope that helps!

Greg wrote:It's your party, but camping is not allowed in the summit parking lot and there is a sign to that effect on the west side of the lot (or at least there used to be).

When did that happen? It was allowed a couple months ago. I don't camp in the parking lot, I camp some 50+ feet away from it. FS only asked if we planned to have a fire the one time I ran into them. They didn't say a thing about camping. You just need a free fire permit and you are good.

Hey Greg & Red:

Thanks for the beta!

Bill - sleep in your car like a homeless hippie!

Shiloh wrote:Bill - sleep in your car like a homeless hippie!

I resemble that remark!

Mmmmmm memory foam. :)

There is still great free camping on the Mt Bigelow Rd. Some, if not all, of it is closed during the winter (Dec31-Mar1). Also check out Incinerator Ridge Rd, it's just before the ranger station and has some nice spots.

Okay cool, so you can camp on the road that goes up to the towers and such, I think that's about mile marker 19 maybe 20 right. Incinerator ridge as well? So I could park my 5th wheel up there for a week and have no issues? What about security?

Any tips on Lemmon camping would be welcome as I never have though I would like to a lot this year.

I bivied in the bathroom at Molino Saddle hiding from an April snowstorm during a very long bike race, does that count? LOL

adam...I don think you can take a trailer up the hwy(if I missed some sort of sarcasm there sorry).when I was younger we used to hate the thought of camp sites so we would just bushwhack out a ways and throw down sleeping bags(tent if it looked like wet weather).I cant say if it was allowed.....but no one ever said anything to us about it