The public won't be able to visit most if not all of fire-scarred Mount Lemmon and Sabino Canyon until November 1, Forest Service officials announced Tuesday night.
Santa Catalina District Ranger C.J. Woodard said the Coronado National Forest from just north of Tucson, north to Oracle and then south and east to the Redington Pass area will stay closed, due to concerns about the potential for post-fire flooding and runoff issues.
While the entire national forest on the mountain is "not necessarily closed," a significant portion is closed including all major hiking trails, said Dorilis Camacho, a Coronado spokeswoman.
The closure order takes effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 15. The order covers most of the national forest on Mount Lemmon, heading south to Redington Pass, a map of the closed area shows.