Whiteriver, AZ, and McNary: Facts for Visitors

Part of Whiteriver, Hon-Dah & Sunrise, our guide to visiting the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, home of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

Whiteriver, about 5,100 to 5,250 ft up on the White River, is the seat of the White Mountain Apache Tribe’s government and the reservation’s largest community, with 4,520 people in the 2020 Census. It is about 2,000 ft lower and warmer than Pinetop, 20-some miles south on State Route 73.

Checked Oct 22, 2026 · Edited by Sam Ridley · Sources · How we check

Whiteriver

McNary

McNary is a small community on SR 260 east of Hon-Dah, at about 7,300 ft, with 484 people in 2020; its sawmill history is on our history page. It sits on the way to the SR 473 turn for Hawley Lake.

Communities on The Reservation

The Tribe’s Fair & Rodeo is held in Whiteriver on Labor Day weekend; see Whiteriver, Hon-Dah and Sunrise events.

Local Legend: The whole town that rode a train from Louisiana

What is actually true: It is documented. The Forest History Society says the Cady Lumber Corporation, owned by William Cady and James McNary, had cut nearly all the yellow pine around McNary, Louisiana by 1922 and bought the holdings of the defunct Apache Lumber Company in Arizona; the Arizona town, then called Cooley, was renamed McNary. The Forest History Society and the Louisiana Forestry Association both say the last log was cut in Louisiana on February 7, 1924 and employees boarded special trains three days later, about 800 people in all. Both say a fire destroyed the Arizona mill in 1979 and operations shifted to Flagstaff. The Apache Railway, which reached McNary in 1920, closed 37 miles of line in 1982. McNary is on White Mountain Apache land; we use only the sources’ facts. Sources: Forest History Society: McNary, Arizona, a town on the move
Louisiana Forestry Association: From LA to Ariz., a sawmill town moves (2019)
Apache Railway: company history

What We Could Not Verify

• An official White River access or fishing page; check with Game & Fish before fishing the river.

More in Whiteriver, Hon-Dah & Sunrise

On tribal land you need a White Mountain Apache Tribe permit for fishing, camping, boating, hiking and even sightseeing; Arizona state licences do not count. See tribal permits.

Nearby Places and Events

Places nearby

1. 1Fort Apache Historic Parkhistoric park, pin estimated by eye4 mi
2. 2Hon-Dah Resort Casinoresort, pin estimated by eye18 mi
3. 3Woodland Lake Parkpark20 mi
4. 4Hawley Lake and Apache Lakeslakes, pin estimated by eye20 mi

Events coming up

1. 5Dragon Celebration (library)Lakeside, on now22 mi
2. 6Geek Out: TCG HangoutShow Low, on now29 mi
3. 7High Elevation HorrorSunrise Park Resort, on now25 mi
4. 8Paint RouletteShow Low, on now29 mi
5. 9Artisan Market at The DepotLakeside, Oct 2422 mi
6. 10Murder Mystery Masquerade PartyLakeside, Oct 2422 mi

Every pin here is an estimate, not a surveyed point. A place pin marked "estimated by eye" is our own guess at the spot (a lake, park or town middle); the others use a point from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) for the named spot, which can still be off by a few blocks. Event pins sit at the center of the event's town, because we do not have each venue's exact spot. Distances are straight-line, rounded, and will not match driving miles. Dots sit in their compass direction; distance is stretched near the middle so close neighbors stay readable. Events are the next dates from our events calendar, as of October 23, 2026, and each date is the organizer's, not confirmed by us. The same places are listed beside the map.

Questions People Ask

How many people live in Whiteriver, AZ?

4,520 in the 2020 Census, the most of any community on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

Is Whiteriver on a different time than Show Low?

No. Whiteriver keeps the same Arizona time as Show Low all year, with no daylight saving.

Where is the White Mountain Apache tribal headquarters?

At 201 E. Walnut St. in Whiteriver.

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb: 2020 Census designated places
2. USGS Geographic Names (GNIS) service
3. USGS Elevation Point Query Service
4. White Mountain Apache Tribe: Contact
5. White Mountain Apache Tribe: Tribal government
6. White Mountain Apache Tribe Game & Fish: Emergency numbers
7. White Mountain Apache Tribe Game & Fish: Permit pricing and vendors

Checked October 22, 2026 by It’s Show Low. Cite this page: It’s Show Low (itsshowlow.com), checked October 22, 2026. Free to quote with a link; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.