There’s Lots To Do While Embracing the Pace in Greer, Arizona

By Brian Anderson



August 24, 2026

7 min read

The four or so hour drive to Greer, Arizona from Phoenix or Tucson is actually almost an hour less. You get behind the wheel in the desert and steer your way up the Mogollon Rim or through the Salt River Canyon into towering Ponderosa Pines. Maybe stop for provisions in Pinetop or cheap gas at Hon-Dah before arriving at your destination.

While there’s still another 30 minutes of travel along State Route 260, the busy outside world peels away. Your time away truly starts now.

260 splits through the Apache Forest like an asphalt river, rising up and up, around this bend and that bend before popping out near State Route 273, also known as the Road to Big Lake or, perhaps, the Sunrise turnoff. It’s there where the summer grazing lands of local ranchers mingle with the lazy waves of bunchgrass in gentle (and sometimes not so much so) winds of some of the highest country in State 48.

It would be easy to think this was the place Katherine Lee Bates envisioned when she penned her poem “America The Beautiful” (it was actually Pike’s Peak in Colorado). Amber waves of grain. Purple mountains. Halcyon skies. This sliver of Apache County teetering on Arizona’s eastern edge offers up a beauty that locals call God’s Country – sent from the heavens for all of us to sit in awe.

As the summer sun works its way toward California, long shadows and golden hues paint the landscape with almost fluorescence. It’s a good time to finally turn off the air conditioning, put the windows down and weave your way into Greer.

Day 1: 4 PM – Dinner & Drinks in a Century Old Barn

People here live by the slogan: Embrace The Pace. You need to take it slow for Greer’s version of rush hour where you’ll likely see more elk than autos. You’ll pass over and then along the Little Colorado River, which is on its 315-mile flow to the end of Marble Canyon where it spills into the Mighty Colorado River.

Just shy of a mile after rounding the bend into the village, a massive saw blade welcomes visitors to The Lost Resorts with a nod to the immediate area’s long gone commercial timber harvesting days. A century-old barn reportedly bought on eBay and shipped west in pieces to this meadow in Arizona’s highest town is the focal point of an imaginative restaurant and lodge. Pop in for a drink and dinner while enjoying the rising shadows as the last sun rays grasp at the mountain tops before giving way to a universe of constellations.

Tuck yourself in at one of the well-appointed riverside casitas just steps away from the gurgling Little Colorado River and a privately stocked trout pond. Enjoy the dark sies and occasional elk bugle and prepare for tomorrow’s adventure.

Day 2: 6 AM – Wildlife Viewing at Greer Lakes

In most places, the early bird gets the worm. In Greer, the osprey catches the fish. And they do so at the Greer Lakes as the sun chases away the night and the brightest of blue skies found only in elevated places unfurl for another day.

Park in the lot by River Reservoir, the largest of the three Greer Lakes, and take up a perch on top of the dam on the north side. Or, better yet, rent a kayak the day before from White Mountain Adventures and take to the water for spectacular views of nose-diving osprey, chattering cormorants and the local family of bald eagles. Just don’t neglect the shore. Mule Deer and Coues’ white-tailed deer are often spotted at lake’s edge.

Day 2: 8 AM – Breakfast at Little Fork in the Road Cafe

Load up the camp chair or watercraft and make your way back into the village for breakfast. Get a seat on the back patio at the Little Fork in the Road Cafe and take in lush meadow views and the cool morning breeze. Get the breakfast burrito if you’re not planning to eat the rest of the day or something lighter if you’re looking to keep the morning rolling.

Day 2: 9 AM – Hike A Big Three

Grab your hiking shoes or boots, water and trail mix and take the back way to the trails off State Route 273. A stone’s throw north of the Lazy Trout Market, turn onto Apache County Road 1122 (Northwoods Road) and follow it up past the cabins and into thick forest above. The road is dirt and summer rains and winter snow can pound on parts of it. Any normally operating passenger vehicle can make the drive. Take it slow and watch for deer, elk and other motorists.

It takes about 20 minutes to get from your turnoff to State Route 273. Take in the wide open views of Mount Baldy and the surrounding grasslands. Grazing cattle dot a landscape that few people unfamiliar with the area would ever believe would be found in Arizona.

At AZ-273, hang a left and head toward Big Lake. Just up the road and around the bent you’ll come across the West Baldy Trailhead and just up from that Sheep Crossing Trailhead. Parking on weekends during the summer can be tight, but both trails are worth the investment in patience.

Keep driving on AZ-273 if you’re looking for a bit more remote trail. The Thompson Trail offers a stunning walk along the west fork of the Black River that attracts plenty of admirers. Again, the effort is more than rewarded with views of a seemingly impossibly beautiful land.

Day 2: Noon – Hatch Chili Chicken at Rendezvous

Breakfast burrito or not, a couple of hours of hiking will set most tummies rumbling. Time to head back to Greer for lunch at the Rendezvous Diner. Opened in 2002, Rendezvous is known for serving its American fare in a structure built some 117 years ago. It sits on Main Street just after the little bridge and before you get to Molly Butler.

While you can’t go wrong with pretty much anything on the menu, order up the green chili chicken and Swiss sandwich. If you’re lucky enough to be in town during hatch chili season (July-October), you’ll get the freshest of fresh from right next door in New Mexico. And while you’re at it, spring for a chocolate shake – just save enough room to split a piece of the cobbler.

Day 2: 2 PM – Roll Out To X Diamond Ranch

With a name about as western as a western name could be, Wink Crigler is well known in these parts. And she may very well know just about everyone and everything that’s ever lived in, passed through and happened for miles around. As owner and proprietor of the X Diamond Ranch, Wink is probably the most popular purveyor of fresh beef in northern Arizona.

Wink regularly announces on social media when fresh inventory of her local ground beef and steaks arrives. It’s wise to place an order because she will run out. But if your timing is right, stop by and grab some meat for burgers or steaks to put on the grill. And take a look around while you’re there. Nothing is in a hurry to, at or from X Diamond Ranch.

Day 2: 6 PM – Prime Rib & Mud Pie at Molly Butler

Speaking of Wink, be sure to visit her grandmother’s old place back on Main Street. You can’t miss it – it’s been around for 116 years! The place, of course, is the Molly Butler Lodge & Restaurant.

Molly Butler is a legend in these parts – rightfully so! With a small cadre of others who migrated to Greer from Utah, she worked the land, raised a family and served countless visitors who had heard that Molly Butler was the person to see for food and a place to stay.

Mollie (as her name was officially spelled) and her husband John accommodated – absolutely free of charge – hunters, fishermen, tourists and even dignitaries at their home. President Teddy Roosevelt was a noted visitor as were great western writers such as Zane Grey and James Willard Schultz, who built a cabin-turned museum – the Butterfly Lodge Museum – just up the road from Molly’s place.

Dinner service begins at 5 p.m. and is quite popular during peak summer months. Reservations are a good idea. But if you don’t mind waiting, belly up to the bar for a pint of Pinetop Brewing Company’s malty blonde ale or Molly Butler’s take on the Old Fashioned and a stunning view of the Greer Valley as the sun sinks in the west.

If the wait for a table gets to you, order up The “Wink” Burger and a mess of fries. Dinner in the historic bar can be as much fun as in the restaurant itself. But locals would suggest waiting it out for a proper dinner served by fine people.

Get Molly’s prime rib or beef au jus and take in the creaks and groans on this historic building filled with a loving community that has made it an Arizona icon. You won’t oblige, but you really should try Molly’s mud pie sometime.

Day 3: 8 AM – Cool Morning Stroll Along The Little Colorado River

If you know, you know, as the saying goes. And the folks in Greer know that your best bet is to get outside as much as possible during the summer months to enjoy cool morning breezes and active wildlife. Get your steps in with a stroll down to the Government Springs trailhead about a half mile from The Lost Resorts.

The end of Main Street is a tree-lined masterpiece of towering pines that runs right along the West Fork of the Little Colorado River. Meander over and watch the water twist and turn through fallen limbs and over slippery rocks on its way through town. Keep going, if you’re motivated – the trail will take you all the way to Sheep Crossing through some of the most spectacular areas of this region.

Day 3: 10 AM – Salted Caramel Mocha Frappe at Coffee Cure

On your way out of town, stop at the seasonal coffee and snack stand run by Kim Moya. A modified school bus houses the Coffee Cure, featuring a wide variety of cool and hot drinks and light eats. Get the salted caramel mocha frappe (you hiked this morning, after all!) and hit the road.

There are two ways into Greer and two ways out – the front way or the back way. Carrying the Embrace The Pace theme with you, take the same back road (Northwoods Road) you did yesterday to the hiking trails. Follow it out to State Route 273 or, even better, take the first road on the right at the top of the hill and follow it through shaded forest that pops you out into a stunning mountain meadow panorama with views of Sunrise Park Resort, your next destination. Hang a left at the stop sign and follow the dirt road a few miles to State Route 273 and turn right toward Highway 260.

Day 3: 11 AM – Volcano Views at Sunrise Park Resort

A few miles up the road on the left is the turnoff to Sunrise Park Resort. Hang a left and follow the road up and down through the forest before it spits you out into a vast dirt parking lot. Park and take a moment to appreciate this slice of heaven of the White Mountain Apache people.

Sunrise is the only ski and summer fun resort in the United States that is owned and operated by a native tribe. It opened in 1974 to fortify tribe economics, welcoming visitors from all over to enjoy this beautiful land.

Grab a ticket to ride the chairlift and take in stunning panoramic views of this once-volatile volcanic area. Or speed down the mountain coaster, jump into a giant inflatable bag from a three-story building or zip down one of the longest ziplines in the Southwest. Sunrise has fun things to do for just about everyone as does Greer and the greater White Mountains of Arizona.