After nearly two and a half years of construction, Mount Lemmon Lodge is finally open.
The 16-room lodge in the heart of the Santa Catalina Mountains at 12833 N. Sabino Canyon Park quietly opened its doors for friends and family last Friday, followed by a soft opening for the public and guests over the weekend.
The lodge is set to host its official grand opening on Saturday, July 29.
Now that Mount Lemmon Lodge is open and currently accepting reservations, owner and architect of the Alps-inspired inn Diana Osborne says she feels energetic.
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“I was thinking that I’d be so exhausted and emotionally drained. But the answer's no. It's just the opposite,” she said.
From left to right, Joe Croche, Santiago Martinez, Emilio Martinez and Giuseppe DeMasi play a game of foosball on the patio at the Mount Lemmon Lodge on July 28, 2023.
Mount Lemmon Lodge features games like foosball and jigsaw puzzles, a gift shop, a Swedish sauna, forest gardens and a Beyond Bread cafe and lounge. The cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
“The lodge is up until 10 p.m. and when the cafe is shutting down, we usually continue to honor beverage sales and people can just come and hang out in the lobby and on the deck and enjoy the fire pit tables and the fireplace,” Osborne said. “We're just hoping that it'll be a place where people will congregate.”
Osborne told #ThisIsTucson last year that she hopes Mount Lemmon Lodge will “bring back the magic mountain memories,” that she and others experienced while growing up in Summerhaven.
One of two bedroom suites that has a sleeper sofa and a full kitchen at Mount Lemmon Lodge on July 28, 2023. Diana Osborne, owner, says she wanted to offer a staycation option for guests by providing the full kitchen.
When chatting on Tuesday afternoon, Osborne said the lodge was already busy and people have been “booking like crazy.” Prices currently start at $250 per night but vary on certain days of the week, holidays and seasons, according to the lodge’s website.
Initially, Osborne had hoped to open Mount Lemmon Lodge last summer, but due to construction setbacks, the date was pushed to this summer. Construction began in February 2021.
Before Mount Lemmon Lodge — and Mt. Lemmon Hotel next door — Summerhaven was home to two inns that were lost to fires.
“The Ponderosa Lodge burned down due to an electrical short circuit on Feb. 10, 1970, and the Mount Lemmon Inn was a casualty of the 2003 Aspen fire that burned nearly 85,000 acres of land in the Santa Catalina Mountains,” #ThisIsTucson reported last year.
“It's the first lodge in over 20 years. And I think the experience is elegant, it's warm, it's inviting,” Osborne said. “And we're just here to make people feel like they're coming home.”
For more information about Mount Lemmon Lodge or to make a reservation, visit their website.
Steve Bland, far left, and John Sharawara relax in the main lobby at the Mount Lemmon Lodge on July 28, 2023.
Elvia Verdugo
Community Sports Editor
