Hawley Lake & White Mountain Apache Lakes

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

The reservation’s high country holds more than a dozen trout lakes between about 7,900 and 9,100 ft; the biggest are Sunrise Lake (307 acres), Reservation Lake (279) and Hawley Lake (244), all made by dams the federal inventory lists from 1956 to 1967. Every one needs a tribal permit, and most allow only electric motors.

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

307 acresSunrise Lake, largest

9,136 ftSunrise Lake

8,171 ftHawley Lake

1956Hawley dam

The Lakes

Lake	Acres	Elevation (ft)	Dam	Notes
Sunrise Lake	307	9,136	1967	At Sunrise Park Resort; the only lake allowing gas motors (10 hp)
Reservation Lake	279	9,010	1965	The highest of these lakes; its store was closed in May 2026
Hawley Lake	244	8,171	1956	Cabins, a store and boat dock; reached on SR 473
Horseshoe (Cienega) Lake	129	8,165	1964	The Tribe says it is rarely full even on holiday weekends
Earl Park Lake	49		1961	Next to Hawley Lake
Christmas Tree Lake	36	8,218	1965	20 anglers a day, by reservation; flies and lures, one hook
Big Bear (Shush Be Tou)	16	7,904	1966	Beside Little Bear (Shush Be Zahze)

Acres and dam years are from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Inventory of Dams; elevations are USGS readings at each dam. Lakes the Tribe’s May 2026 report also names include A-1, Bog Tank (day use only), Cooley, Cyclone, Drift Fence, Hurricane and Pacheta; Tonto Lake is open to tribal members only.

Fish and Stocking

The Tribe says its high lakes hold Apache, rainbow, brown and brook trout, and that it is proud to produce the Apache trout, a species found nowhere else in the world. Most streams are stocked weekly in summer and the high lakes once or twice a month.

Hawley Lake Cabins

The White Mountain Apache Community Development Corporation, a non-profit, rents fully furnished cabins for 2 to 14 people near Hawley and Earl Park lakes, with no phones, TVs or microwaves; call (928) 369-1753. Rates are not published. The whole Hawley Lake campground can be rented for $200 a day.

Good to Know

The Tribe says Horseshoe, A-1, Sunrise, Pacheta and Drift Fence lakes are rarely full even on holiday weekends.
Most campgrounds are serviced Memorial Day to Labor Day; no hookups.
Store food in a locked car or hang it 15 ft up: this is bear country.

The high lakes between Hawley Lake and Sunrise Lake. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Local Legend: Arizona’s record cold: minus 40 at Hawley Lake

What is actually true: It is true. The National Weather Service in Flagstaff says an official station at Hawley Lake recorded −40°F on January 7, 1971, the all-time record low for Arizona. azfamily (2024) gives the same figure and date and an elevation of 8,200 feet, and reports that the station was abandoned in 1988, so the record cannot be re-measured there. The same pages do not support “Show Low is the coldest town”: the Weather Service lists Springerville, Eagar, Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside, Nutrioso and Alpine only as places where well-below-freezing nights can occur. Hawley Lake is on White Mountain Apache land; see the tribal permits page before you go. Sources: National Weather Service Flagstaff: Cold
azfamily: What they don’t tell you about Arizona’s temperature extremes (2024)

What We Could Not Verify

Whether Rent-A-Lake and Christmas Tree Lake bookings are open for 2027 (the Tribe posted a closure in 2024 and took phone bookings in May 2026).
Diamond Creek: no official visitor information was found, so it is not listed.

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

Around Hawley Lake and Apache Lakes within 30 miles

Places nearby

1Sunrise Park Resortski and summer resort6 mi
2Mount Baldy Wildernesswilderness, pin estimated by eye10 mi
3Greervillage12 mi
4Greer Lakeslakes, pin estimated by eye13 mi

Events coming up

5Dragon Celebration (library)Lakeside, on now20 mi
6Geek Out: TCG HangoutShow Low, on now27 mi
7High Elevation HorrorSunrise Park Resort, on now5 mi
8Paint RouletteShow Low, on now27 mi
9Artisan Market at The DepotLakeside, Oct 2420 mi
10Murder Mystery Masquerade PartyLakeside, Oct 2420 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

What is the biggest lake on the White Mountain Apache reservation?

Of the high trout lakes, Sunrise Lake at 307 acres, then Reservation Lake (279) and Hawley Lake (244), by the National Inventory of Dams.

Can you use a gas motor on Hawley Lake?

No. The Tribe allows only a single electric motor on its lakes, except Sunrise Lake, where gas motors up to 10 hp are allowed.

How do I fish Christmas Tree Lake?

By reservation only: 20 anglers a day, artificial flies and lures with a single hook, $30 a day to July 4 and $25 after. Call (928) 338-4385.

Sources

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.