Sunrise Park Resort is an alpineski resort located near Greer, Arizona. The resort consists of three mountains named Sunrise Peak, Cyclone Circle, and Apache Peak. Situated on the Colorado Plateau and perched atop the White Mountains in eastern Arizona. The base of the resort sits at 9,200 feet (2,800 m) and the tallest mountain, Apache Peak, tops out at an elevation of 11,100 feet (3,400 m) above sea level. The ski slopes spread across the 3 peaks and cover 1,200 acres (4.9 km2),[1] making it the largest ski resort in Arizona.
Ownership and location
Sunrise Park Resort is owned and operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe, and is located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The resort is a year-round recreation destination and offers a wide range of outdoor activities.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sunrise Park Resort has a warm-summer mediterranean continental climate, abbreviated "Dsb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded at Sunrise Park Resort was 86 °F (30.0 °C) on June 27, 2002 and June 20, 2016, while the coldest temperature recorded was −26 °F (−32.2 °C) on January 4, 1972.[2]
Climate data for Sunrise Park Resort, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present
The ski season at Sunrise Park Resort usually runs from Thanksgiving through the end of March. During the winter, the resort's three mountains offer alpine skiing. Night skiing is offered around Christmas and on holiday weekends in January and February.[4] There is also a snowboard terrain park, separate cross-country skiing area, and a snow tubing hill.
Ski bikes
Ski biking (also known as Skibobbing) is a bicycle-like frame with skis instead of wheels. The sport is offered for beginners and experienced individuals at Sunrise. They offer both lessons and rentals for ski biking and the lift system allows for ski bikers to ride the lift up the mountain. First-time ski bike riders at Sunrise require a safety certification by the ski bike staff prior to loading the lifts, regardless of their experience or personal equipment to ensure the safety of themselves and other visitors.
Lessons and rentals
Sunrise offers rentals of skis, snowboards, boots, poles, and winter clothing for all sizes and all ages at the rental shop at the base of Sunrise Peak. Ski School is offered for all ages and allows first-time skiers or snowboarders to learn in a group setting or one-on-one with an instructor. Some lessons are offered for a half-day and others are an entire day. Sunrise also offers improvement lessons for experienced skiers or snowboarders to improve their skills.
Mountain statistics
Elevation
The ski area consists of three peaks:
Sunrise Peak (elevation 10,700')
Apache Peak (elevation 11,000')
Base: 9,200 feet (2,800 m)
Summit: 11,000 feet (3,400 m)
Vertical drop: 1,800 feet (2nd highest in Arizona)
Cyclone Circle (elevation 10,700')
Trails
The trails on the mountain have some sort of theme, such as Native American and Western names.
There are 22 mountain bike trails, and an array of side trails.[5] The trail system is primarily located on Sunrise Peak, with one trail (Ba'cho) traveling over to Apache Peak and Cyclone Circle. All trails converge at the base of Sunrise Peak, where riders can load on the Sunrise Express (Lift 1, high-speed quad) or the Spirit Ridge (Lift 8, fixed grip quad lift) to access the trails.
Easy – 6 trails (27%)
Intermediate – 3 trails (14%)
Difficult – 8 trails (36%)
Expert – 5 trails (23%)
Images
Winter Images
View of the Sunrise High-Speed Quad at the top of Sunrise Peak (10,700')
