With summertime temperatures averaging 20 to 30 degrees cooler than Phoenix or Tucson, the White Mountains are a popular weekend getaway. The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is 1.6 million acres of terrain from the lower, drier Salt River Canyon to the spruce-alpine-fir forest surrounding Mt. Baldy.
Apache Culture Center Education
Nohwike' Bagowa, the White Mountain Apache Culture Center, is located within the historic Ft. Apache. It houses displays of traditional Apache culture and tells stories of the Apache people. It also houses a gift shop. A few of the Ft. Apache buildings are open to the public and can be toured via a self-guided map tour. The Theodore Roosevelt school is also housed in the same compound and is in use today. The Fort and Culture Center are located on Hwy 46, just south of Whiteriver.
Sunrise Ski Area Summer Activities
Sunrise Ski Area is a great place to go, even in the summer. The lifts are open for scenic rides on many a weekend. Atop Apache Peak at over 11,000 feet, cool temperatures and great views abound. Mountain biking down the trails is permitted. Snow lingers late into the summer on shaded north slopes. Sunrise Ski Area is located off Hwy 273.
Williams Creek Fish Hatchery Tours
The Williams Creek Fish Hatchery is located about halfway between Hondah and Whiteriver off of Highway 73. The hatchery is open to the public. An underground spring feeds the waters of the hatchery where brook, brown, rainbow and apache trout are raised from eggs. The fish raised here are used to stock local waters.
Apache trout are the trout native to the area, and the hatchery performs a special function by breeding them.
Hawley Lake Cabins and Fishing
Hawley Lake is located off of Hwy 260 on Hwy 473. Hawley Lake offers great trout fishing as well as cabins for rent through the CDC (Community Development Corporation). Well off the beaten path and high in the spruce-fir forest, Hawley lake is quiet and relaxing. The road to Hawley Lake is not maintained in the winter, so go before it snows.
Salt River Canyon Rafting
The Salt River is the dividing line between the San Carlos Apache and White Mountain Apache Reservations. The Salt River Canyon is very different than the higher-elevation pine forests. The old highway bridge across the Salt River is open for foot traffic. A trail runs from the rest area down to the river. In the spring, and certain times of the year, the river runs high and turbulent. When the water is a bit lower, waterfalls appear.
Outfitters offer rafting trips down the Salt River, many of which begin near the bridge.
These five places to go can easily fill a weekend trip to the White Mountains of Arizona.
Cassandra Truax - Cassandra might be considered a jack of all trades. Starting out with a BA in Spanish with a minor in Environmental Studies, she decided ...
