Traffic is backed up Friday afternoon on the Catalina Highway as motorists attempt to get up the mountain to play in the snow. The highway up the mountain is open but officials are having to limit how many vehicles go up at a time.

 Doug Kreutz / Arizona Daily Star

Those wanting to play in the snow on Mount Lemmon on Friday afternoon had to wait in line.

A long line of vehicles was waiting to head up the Catalina Highway on Friday afternoon with the wait at one point being about 25 minutes to get through the sheriff's department checkpoint. The Catalinas have been hit with two storms in the last week that have dropped several inches of snow on the ground.

The winding road up the mountain was open to the public but because of limited parking spaces, sheriff's officials at the base have been allowing vehicles up the mountain only when other vehicles come down.

Despite the partial federal government shutdown, the Coronado National Forest is accessible to the public although there are no government services being provided on the federal land.

Another Pacific storm is expected to hit the Tucson area, bringing rain and higher elevation snow — 6-7 inches possible above 7,500 feet — to the region beginning Saturday night into Sunday evening.

You can check whether the road up to Mount Lemmon is open by calling the Pima County Sheriff's Department road hotline at 547-7510.

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