Visiting Show Low and The White Mountains

Show Low sits on a high, pine-covered plateau in eastern Arizona, a little over 6,300 feet up, with lakes, trails and a ski mountain within an hour or so of town. This guide helps you choose a base, pick a season and plan a first trip. Every fact is checked against an official page, and each area guide below carries its own sources.

Check These Before You Go (As of October 22, 2026)

Getting Here

• By car from Phoenix. Pinetop-Lakeside’s town profile names two routes: U.S. 60 through the Salt River Canyon, or State Route 260 through Payson. Show Low’s main street is Deuce of Clubs.
• By air. Show Low Regional Airport (SOW) has a 7,202-foot runway and a Contour Airlines route to Phoenix Sky Harbor, its only destination on Contour’s route map. The city describes the flights as scheduled public charters with one free checked bag. We have not confirmed how many flights run each week, so check Contour. Show Low airport
• Roads in winter. The roads to Big Lake close with snow, generally from December to early April. Sunrise Park Resort is reached from U.S. 260 and State Route 273.

Choose Your Base

The towns are small and spread out along SR 260 and U.S. 60. Pick the one that fits your trip and drive out from there.

When to Come

Season	What to expect	Good for
Summer (June to August)	July highs average about 85°F with lows near 59°F in Show Low. The monsoon officially runs June 15 to September 30, and July and August are the wettest months. Lightning is common on the Mogollon Rim in July and August.	Lakes and fishing, camping, hiking, wildflowers (July and August are best), the farmers market (Saturdays, mid-May to mid-September in 2026), Sunrise’s summer rides and zip lines.
Fall (September to October)	Fee camping at Big Lake ends in mid-October, and the Rim lakes such as Woods Canyon Lake are operated from May to November.	Big Lake brook trout (October and November, per the state fishing guide), birding at Pintail Lake, fall events such as trunk-or-treat and the Santa’s Holiday Market in mid-November.
Winter (December to February)	January highs average about 46°F, lows about 24°F. Sunrise Park Resort reports about 250 inches of average snowfall at its mountains.	Skiing, snowboarding and tubing at Sunrise (night skiing on selected dates), cabins and lodge stays. Check road conditions.
Spring (March to May)	Waterfowl pass through the Pintail Lake ponds in spring migration, per the state wildlife agency. The high roads to Big Lake usually stay closed by snow until early April.	Birding, and early bloom: banana yucca from March and cliffrose from May.

Show Low gets about 15.7 inches of precipitation a year (1991–2020 normals).

Sample Plans

One Day in Show Low

1. Walk the 1.5-mile trail along Fool Hollow Lake, or the paved Meadow Trail at 769 S. White Mountain Rd.
2. Spend the middle of the day on Deuce of Clubs and downtown. Downtown
3. Finish at Pintail Lake’s wildlife blinds, a short drive north on SR 77 (no restrooms or water there).

A Weekend Based in Pinetop-Lakeside

1. Day 1. The White Mountain Trail System loops near town, then Rainbow Lake. Pinetop trails
2. Day 2. Drive southeast to Sunrise Park Resort for skiing in winter or the coaster and scenic lift in summer. Sunrise

Four Days East

1. Round Valley, Becker Lake and the Madonna of the Trail in Springerville. Springerville and Eagar
2. Greer and the Little Colorado River headwaters.
3. Big Lake, in season (roughly mid-May to mid-October at the campgrounds). Big Lake
4. Snowflake’s pioneer homes on the way back. Historic Snowflake

Where to Stay

This guide lists lodging only when we could read the operator’s own page. For motels and rentals in town, check the visitor information for each community.

• Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area (State Parks). Tent sites $25 a night, hook-up sites $50, oversized sites $75. Weekend stays need two nights from April 1 to October 30. Reservations: (877) 697-2757. Details
• Show Low Lake. City-owned and run by a concessionaire; camping fees are not confirmed. Call (928) 537-4126.
• Hon-Dah Resort Casino (SR 260 at the SR 73 junction): 128 rooms, from $139 to $229 a night on posted rates, plus an RV park at $43 a day. Phone 928-369-0299. Hon-Dah
• Sunrise Park Lodge: rooms, suites and cabins (the cabins have a two-night minimum). The lodge says there is no air conditioning and no elevators, and no pets except service dogs. Phone (928) 735-7600.
• Big Lake campgrounds: five Forest Service campgrounds; fee camping mostly runs from mid-May to mid-October.

Visiting The Fort Apache Reservation

• A White Mountain Apache tribal permit is required for fishing, boating, camping, hiking, picnicking and sightseeing on the reservation, and it must be carried. Arizona fishing licenses do not cover tribal waters.
• Permit prices differ between pages on the Tribe’s own site. Confirm the price at the counter, for example at Hon-Dah’s outdoor store (open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily).
• The summit of Mount Baldy is sacred to the Tribe and is a closed area. Hikers on the national-forest trails are asked to turn back at the reservation boundary.
• Ask before photographing people. Do not fly drones or film commercially on resort land without the Tribe’s permission.
• No fireworks anywhere on the reservation.

More to Read

Day Trips Beyond The White Mountains

Holbrook and Petrified Forest National Park are the nearest big day trip: see Day trips from Show Low: Holbrook and Petrified Forest. The stories people tell about these places are on Show Low legends.

Questions People Ask

How high is Show Low?

About 6,300 to 6,400 feet. The USGS elevation at the town’s map point is 6,330 feet and the airport is 6,415 feet. Pinetop-Lakeside is higher, near 6,700 to 7,000 feet, and Big Lake is about 9,000 feet.

Do I need a fishing license?

Arizona waters need a state fishing license from age 10 (Fool Hollow). Reservation waters need the White Mountain Apache tribal permit instead.

Can I swim at the lakes?

Fool Hollow allows swimming but has no swim area or lifeguard, and swimming is not allowed near ramps, docks or the dam.

Is Big Lake open in winter?

Access is restricted when roads close because of snow, generally from December to early April, and fee camping mostly ends in mid-October.

Sources

1. Arizona State Parks: Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area
2. Arizona State Parks: Fee schedule
3. Town of Pinetop-Lakeside: Community profile
4. Town of Pinetop-Lakeside: Woodland Lake conditions
5. FAA airport data: Show Low Regional (SOW)
6. Contour Airlines: Show Low, AZ
7. Arizona State Climate Office: Show Low climate normals
8. University of Arizona CLIMAS: Monsoon definition
9. USDA Forest Service: Mogollon Rim Visitor Center
10. USDA Forest Service: Scott Reservoir
11. Sunrise Park Resort and Sunrise lodging
12. Hon-Dah Resort Casino
13. White Mountain Apache Tribe Game and Fish
14. Show Low Main Street: Farmers market

Checked October 22, 2026 by It’s Show Low. Free to quote with a link.

Cite this page: It's Show Low, “Visiting Show Low and The White Mountains”, itsshowlow.com/visit/ (updated 2026-10-22). By the It's Show Low editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.