Arizona has a way of changing the scenery on you.
Head into the White Mountains of eastern Arizona and you’ll find pine forests, mountain meadows, and lakes that might surprise someone whose picture of the state stops at saguaros and sand.
A September 22 feature from WildEarth Guardians brings that landscape into focus. Writer Erica Prather describes the organization’s fourth annual Greater Gila campout at Big Lake, surrounded by ponderosa pines and aspens.
It’s a good reminder of just how much there is to discover up here. And be sure to keep your wits about you with any and all experiences you may have!
Start with Big Lake
For anyone curious about camping in the White Mountains, Big Lake is a place to start exploring options.
Its surrounding campgrounds include Rainbow, Grayling, and Apache Trout. These sites sit around 9,000 feet in elevation, putting a camping trip here in a very different setting from a weekend in the desert.
You can explore individual campground details through Recreation.gov’s Big Lake area listings, starting with Rainbow Campground.
Make room to explore
The wider White Mountains region offers hiking, fishing, birding, mountain biking, and time on the water. Towns such as Greer, Springerville, and Pinetop Lakeside give visitors different starting points for exploring eastern Arizona.
Before packing the vehicle, check your chosen campground’s operating dates, availability, weather, and current forest alerts. Bring layers for the elevation, and verify fire restrictions before planning on a campfire.
This is the kind of Arizona that deserves more space on the map of our weekend plans.
Read Erica Prather’s White Mountains campout feature.
Explore the White Mountains through Visit Arizona.