Travel to the White Mountains
Getting to the White Mountains is an enjoyable half-day road
trip through some of the most remarkable scenery and history of
Arizona. With newly improved, wide and safe state and interstate
highways, getting up to the cool pines has never been faster or
easier!
From
Phoenix...
From Phoenix (through Globe-Miami)...
From Flagstaff...
From Tucson...
From Albuquerque...
Leaving Phoenix, you'll travel up along Highway 87 (known
locally as the "Beeline Highway".) Recently completed as a
four-lane expressway with scenic views and award-winning
transportation structures, Highway 87 will lead you into Payson
(home to one of the oldest rodeos in the country.) You begin your
climb up into the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, along the
famous "Rim Road" (State Route 260) at an elevation of close to
7,000 feet. Travelers along the rim marvel at the steep drop to
the desert below, and have frequently seen both deer and elk
along the highway. Take State Route 60 through Show Low, an
early settlement named for a famous poker hand that determined
ownership of the surrounding ranch, and on to the two communities
of Springerville and Eagar. A popular itinerary is to start out
on the Beeline in the late morning, stopping for lunch in either
Payson or Show Low, and arriving in the mid-afternoon in
Springerville and Eagar. Depending upon traffic conditions
(usually heaviest on the weekends) you can expect about 3-hours
of drive time once you've left Phoenix.
An alternative route from Phoenix takes visitors through the
communities of Globe and Miami, (the Cobre, or copper valley)
where the heart of Arizona's rich copper mining began. You'll
travel through the Salt River Canyon, where large boulders the
size of homes still lay as a testament to the time when
mile-wide, violent prehistoric rivers sculpted the landscape.
Continuing through the desert and into the Fort Apache Indian
Reservation along U.S. Route 60, you'll climb up into the tall
pines, entering Show Low. Continue east along Route 60, and
approximately 45 minutes from Show Low, you'll be entering the
towns of Springerville and Eagar, the Gateway to the White
Mountains.
Visitors from Tucson can travel through the rich history of
Arizona's mining country by traveling north along State Route 77.
In the hour and a half trip alongside the San Pedro river, you'll
pass by such famous mining towns as Oracle, Hayden, and Winkelman,
originally established for the silver that was mined in these
mountains in the 1800's. Highway 77 will lead you into the
communities of Globe and Miami, (the Cobre, or copper valley)
where the heart of Arizona's rich copper mining began. You'll
travel through the Salt River Canyon, where large boulders the
size of homes still lay as a testament to the time when
mile-wide, violent prehistoric rivers sculpted the landscape.
Continuing through the desert along U.S. Route 60, you'll climb up into the tall
pines, entering Show Low. Continue another 45 minutes to the east
along Route 60, and you'll find yourself in Springerville
and Eagar, the Gateway to the White Mountains!
Heading east along Interstate 40, you'll pass through the
community of Winslow, where you can visit the "Standin' on the
Corner Park," made famous for the 70's hit song. You'll also pass
by access to popular attractions such as Meteor Crater, the
Petrified Forest, and the Painted Desert. Turning south on State
Route 180 at Holbrook, St. Johns is the first of the White
Mountain Communities you'll encounter, a pleasant 1-hour drive
through the high desert of Northeastern Arizona.
Continue south for 25 minutes to the communities of Springerville and
Eagar. Each of the communities in the White Mountains are known
for exciting entertainment and a wealth of outdoor activities in
the cool pines.
Heading
west along Interstate 40 for about an hour to Grants, turn south on
Route 53. This scenic route passes through the El Malpais National
Monument and Conservation area, with it's majestic sandstone arches,
ancient lava flows, petrogroglyphs, and spectacular pueblo ruins.
Continue west on Route 53 for another 2 hours, you'll pass the Zuni
Pueblo (the largest in New Mexico), and you'll cross the border
between New Mexico and Arizona, and join up with Route 191. Head
south for about a half hour on Route 191 to St. Johns, the Apache
County Seat, and then continue on for another half hour, pass Lyman
Lake, one of the most popular lakes for water sports in Arizona. A
few minutes drive from Lyman Lake, you'll enter the two communities
of Springerville and Eagar, the Gateway to the White Mountains.
