Best Guided Hikes

Mount Lemmon Volunteer Interpreters

STAFF PICK: In addition to the monsoons and the reduced city traffic, one of the greatest blessings those of us who stick around during the summer have to look forward to is the Mount Lemmon Volunteer Interpreters program. All summer long, these U.S. Forest Service volunteers lead free guided hikes in the Catalina Mountains. In addition to endless hours on the trail, these knowledgeable docents have spent more than 56 hours in the classroom, learning all about the area's geology and botany. There are about seven different hikes, each four to six miles, and they rotate every Friday. And if you can't wait until next year, most of these folks work as Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists in the winter. They're one of the area's greatest naturalist resources.