Fall color on Mount Lemmon is on its usual schedule this year. What changed is access to the mountain's busiest trailhead. Through Dec. 17, 2026, Marshall Gulch is open to hikers only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays. The rest of the week the whole area is closed for construction. Those dates sit right on top of the stretch when the aspens and maples above Summerhaven usually turn. So for anyone in the Catalina Foothills who treats the Santa Catalinas as the backyard, which day you go matters as much as which week.
Here's what's being built, what that means for October and November, and how to match each day of the week to the right slope.
What the closure order actually says
The Coronado National Forest closure order, No. 03-05-05-26-009, took effect July 30, 2026, and runs through Dec. 17, 2026. It covers four trails that start at or pass through the site:
- The Arizona Trail
- Marshall Gulch Trail #3
- Aspen Trail #93
- Sunset Trail #90
All four are open to hikers Friday through Sunday and on every federal holiday. Monday through Thursday, the Forest Service closes the entire area "for public safety during the active construction of the site."
Open days still come with limits. In its June 22, 2026 release, the Forest Service said the picnic and restroom facilities will stay closed for the whole project. Once the early tree work was done, the site would reopen with a "pedestrian path" to the trails. On a Saturday you can reach the trails, but there's no picnic table or restroom waiting at the bottom.
Why the busiest trailhead on the forest is being rebuilt
The Forest Service calls Marshall Gulch one of the most popular recreation sites in the Coronado National Forest, with about 160,000 visitors a year. It's the main trailhead for Marshall Gulch Trail #3, Sunset Trail #90 and Aspen Trail #93.
Parking is where the old design broke down. The current lot is one way and dead-ends. The project replaces it with a loop road that includes two bridges over Sabino Creek built for a 100-year flood, a new restroom, rebuilt asphalt parking and new picnic sites. It also aims to return the areas along Sabino Creek and Marshall Gulch to more natural conditions.
The number to keep in mind for next year is capacity. The site grows from 30 vehicles to 32. That's two more spaces for a trailhead with about 160,000 visitors a year. The rebuild fixes how cars move through the lot. It doesn't add much room to park. Once it reopens, a peak-color Saturday will still fill those 32 spots quickly, and the overflow plan below will still matter after the cones are gone.
The project was approved in 2018 and is supported by funding from the Legacy Restoration Fund under the Great American Outdoors Act, which covers deferred maintenance on national forest facilities. The June 2026 release puts completion at December 2026. The Forest Service's own Marshall Gulch recreation page still shows an older timeline, with work starting in fall 2025 and finishing in summer 2026. Go by the later release.
The parking lot that makes this workable
While construction is underway, the Forest Service is steering trail users to the new parking area south of Summerhaven, which Pima County built with Federal Lands Access Program funds. The Arizona Trail Association reported on July 1, 2026 that the project added a 75-space paved lot, 21 roadside spaces, a restroom, an Arizona Trail kiosk and pathway, and about half a mile of resurfacing on Sabino Canyon Park Road. Pima County announced the work complete on June 30, 2026. The Federal Highway Administration's project page also lists a public restroom at the new lot.
That's 96 spaces at the new lot, three times the 32 planned at Marshall Gulch. With the Marshall Gulch restroom closed for the whole project, the new lot's restroom is the one the Forest Service is effectively pointing trail users toward this fall.
Thru-hikers have a detour too. Passages 11 and 12 of the Arizona National Scenic Trail and the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Bypass are rerouted onto Mint Springs Trail #20, which links E. Carter Canyon Road to Marshall Saddle. If you're headed to Mint Spring for the aspens, you'll be sharing it with long-distance hikers for now.
When the leaves turn, and where
A September 2026 fall color guide from Mount Lemmon Lodge says color usually shows up in early to mid-October, starting with aspens at the highest elevations. It's most reliable from mid-October through early November, and many areas peak in late October. The guide points to Arizona Highways, which puts the usual peak around Bear Wallow in late October through early November. Wind and early cold can cut the season short, so the guide suggests checking recent photos before you drive up.
The same guide matches each kind of color to a place:
- Bear Wallow for maples.
- Mint Spring Trail for aspens.
- Ski Valley and Aspen Draw for higher-elevation aspens.
- Aspen Trail and Marshall Gulch for mixed aspen and oak.
- Butterfly Trail near Mount Bigelow for the widest mix, with maples, oaks and other species alongside aspen.
Forest Service botanical material backs up the maple claim. High, wet canyons in the range support bigtooth maple, and high-elevation canyons hold maple, aspen, oak and other hardwoods. The Forest Service describes Aspen Trail #93 as a mixed riparian and pine route with aspens, Douglas-fir, white fir and several oaks.
Put the list next to the closure order and the scheduling problem is clear. Only one of those five spots, Aspen Trail and Marshall Gulch, is behind the weekday closure. The others are open whenever the highway is.
Matching the day to the slope
Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley has its own weekly rhythm. Its posted hours show the scenic Sky Ride running Monday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The resort is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The Iron Door Restaurant keeps similar hours, opening at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday and at 9 a.m. on weekends. Ski Valley's page isn't dated, notes that start times may vary and says the Sky Ride doesn't run during ski season, so confirm hours before you go.
Together, the two schedules make a week like this:
| Day | Marshall Gulch and Aspen Trail | Ski Valley Sky Ride | Where the color is open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Closed | Open, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Ski Valley aspens, Bear Wallow, Butterfly, Mint Spring |
| Tuesday | Closed | Closed | Bear Wallow, Butterfly, Mint Spring |
| Wednesday | Closed | Closed | Bear Wallow, Butterfly, Mint Spring |
| Thursday | Closed | Open, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Ski Valley aspens, Bear Wallow, Butterfly, Mint Spring |
| Friday | Open | Open, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Everything |
| Saturday and Sunday | Open | Open, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Everything |
Tuesday and Wednesday are when both of the mountain's best-known stops are closed. For a midweek drive, those are the days for Bear Wallow's maples or the mixed color on Butterfly Trail. Friday is the only weekday when Marshall Gulch, Aspen Trail and the Sky Ride are all open.
Federal holidays move the grid around. The order opens Marshall Gulch on every federal holiday, and three fall inside the closure window. Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day is Monday, Oct. 12, which is tomorrow, so Marshall Gulch and the Sky Ride are both open. Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Marshall Gulch opens that day, but Ski Valley's posted schedule has it closed. Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, when Marshall Gulch is open and the posted Sky Ride hours cover Thursdays.
Before and after the hike
The Forest Service lists the Pima County Sheriff's road-condition line, 520-351-3351, for the Catalina Highway. The Marshall Gulch order covers the recreation site and its trails, not the highway, so call that line for current road conditions before you head up.
In Summerhaven, the Mt. Lemmon Cookie Cabin serves handmade cookies and pizza, Sawmill Run offers sit-down dining and takeout, and the Mt. Lemmon General Store carries fudge, groceries and gifts. None of them post current fall hours online, so call ahead.
If you'd rather stay up late than start early, the University of Arizona's SkyCenter SkyNights program runs about five hours. It starts two hours before sunset with an astronomy talk, a light dinner and sunset viewing, followed by time at the telescope. It's open to ages 7 and up. A weekday SkyNights booking pairs well with an afternoon at Bear Wallow, since the closure order doesn't touch either one.
Next fall, Marshall Gulch should have its loop road, both Sabino Creek bridges and a working restroom again, but still only 32 parking spaces. The 96 spaces at the Pima County lot south of Summerhaven will be useful long after this year's leaves are down.
At the Brenda O'Brien Team, we follow changes like the Marshall Gulch rebuild because they're part of daily life in the Foothills and across Northwest Tucson. If you'd like to talk through how close you want to live to the trailheads you use most, we'd be glad to hear from you. Contact Us.
