The road to Mount Lemmon Ski Valley starts with sun-drenched saguaros and ends with towering, snow-dusted pines. This stark change in landscapes seems fitting for the country’s southernmost ski destination, which is nestled in the snow-capped Catalina Mountains about an hour north of Tucson. Because its overnight accommodations are scarce, Ski Valley is largely a day-trip destination. That’s all about to change. University of Arizona alums and husband and wife Justin and Andrea Hafner are building a new hotel development called Mount Lemmon Hotel at the site that formerly housed the Alpine Lodge, which burned down in 2003. “I think it will breathe life into the mountain, which is still recovering from the 2003 Aspen Fire,” Justin Hafner says. The hotel will feature 17 individual cabins and is slated to open before ski season next year. mtlemmonhotel.com
