Tribal Lands · Arizona
White Mountain Apache Reservation Camping (Sunrise, Horseshoe, A-1, Pacheta, Drift Fence Lakes)
Tribal Lands · Arizona, United States
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 9,334 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- Verizon good · T-Mobile none · AT&T none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Lake
- Sunrise Lake
- Nearest town
- Pinetop-Lakeside
About
White Mountain Apache Tribe Game & Fish Department permit-based camping system across designated lakes (Horseshoe, A-1, Sunrise, Pacheta, and Drift Fence) plus primitive areas (Black and Salt River, Bonito Prairie Stock Tanks, Big Bonito Creek) - not one single campground. Designated sites have a picnic table, fire ring, toilet, and trash service; primitive areas have no services and require pack-in/pack-out. Camping season is Memorial Day through Labor Day (off-season use permitted with pack-out requirements). Special Use Permits are required for Black and Salt River and Big Bonito Creek. Pets must be leashed (10ft max). The developed campground at Sunrise Park Resort is listed separately from this permit system. This permit system has no single location; it shares a point with Sunrise Campground at Sunrise Park Resort, the tribe's one mapped camping address.
Fees
Daily per-vehicle camping permit: $15. 30-day monthly permit: $350. One permit covers up to 8 people or 1 vehicle per campsite; non-transferable and non-refundable.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 21° | -3° | 52° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 41° | 21° | 0° | 58° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 45° | 25° | 3° | 71° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 55° | 30° | 19° | 67° | 10 of 11 |
| May | 63° | 39° | 26° | 77° | 4 of 11 |
| June | 76° | 49° | 37° | 86° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 77° | 53° | 46° | 85° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 71° | 51° | 45° | 82° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 68° | 47° | 39° | 77° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 60° | 37° | 27° | 71° | 5 of 10 |
| November | 54° | 30° | 18° | 64° | 10 of 10 |
| December | 46° | 24° | 3° | 57° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Sunrise Campground (Sunrise Park Resort) · Tribal Lands · 0 mi
- Winn · USDA Forest Service · 5 mi · 64 sites
- Rolfe C. Hoyer Campground · USDA Forest Service · 8 mi
- Hoyer · USDA Forest Service · 8 mi · 91 sites
- Benny Creek Group Area · USDA Forest Service · 8 mi · 10 sites
All public campgrounds in Arizona · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-09-04. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.