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 3-1/2-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.
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