Sunrise Park Resort is an alpine ski 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 and the tallest mountain, Apache Peak, tops out at an elevation of above sea level. The ski slopes spread across the 3 peaks and cover , making it the largest ski resort in Arizona.
Sunrise Park Resort is owned and operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe and located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The resort is a year-round recreation destination and offers a wide range of outdoor activities.
Sunrise Park Resort is a popular regional destination and is approximately from Phoenix, Arizona, from Tucson, Arizona, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and from El Paso, Texas. The closest airports are located in Springerville, Arizona, Show Low, Arizona, and Whiteriver, Arizona.
Intitally considering opening a ski resort in the Hawley Lake area in 1962, Chairman Lupe showed Tribal members Sunrise Peak and they were convinced. By 1965, the Bureau of Indian Affairs completed a feasibility study and in 1969 they submitted an Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant application and negotiations between LTV Corporation and Boise Cascade Tribe began. In 1970 the Council approved funding for the first ski lift and the EDA increased the original grant to $1.6 million. Despite a fire that burned down a 50-room wing of the hotel, Sunrise Park Resort was ready to opening on Christmas Day of that year.
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 on June 27, 2002 and June 20, 2016, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 4, 1972.
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. There is also a snowboard terrain park, separate cross-country skiing area, ski biking, and a snow tubing hill.
The ski area consists of three peaks:
Sunrise has 67 trails covering a skiable area of . The trails on the mountain have some sort of theme, such as Native American and Western names.
The summer season at Sunrise Park Resort usually runs from Memorial Day weekend through September or October, depending on weather and other factors. Sunrise offers several summer activities, including downhill mountain biking, scenic chairlift rides, a zip line course, a tubing hill, a rock climbing wall, hiking, and 3D archery.
There are 22 mountain bike trails, and an array of side trails. 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.