Photos & text by Anne Groebner



There was a time when, if you had told me that Arizona had four seasons including freezing, snowy weather, mountains over 12,000 feet in elevation, and that it hosted the largest stand of towering ponderosa in the world, I wouldn’t have believed you. When you grow up in the mid-west and picture Arizona, it is all desert. In fact, when I told friends that we were moving out here, they couldn’t believe we would want to live in such a hot climate. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that I did either. When we left Ely, Minnesota, located about five miles from Canada (as the crow flies) in February of 1994, the temperature was a balmy, minus 54 degrees on the lake where we had lived, and when we reached Phoenix, it was a dry 85. 

That summer I suffered through triple-digit heat. Temperatures were so hot that I could feel the asphalt sink a little when I would cross a street. Needless to say, this mid-western, Northwoods girl only lasted one year in Phoenix and fortunately, my husband’s job transferred to Pinetop located in the Northwoods of the White Mountains (in Arizona). The temperatures here are similar to the upper mid-west but not quite as cold. Now, when I go back to visit family, I wonder how I ever braved their freezing (sub-arctic) winters, where you had to plug your car engine in every night so it wouldn’t freeze. Still, I consider myself a winter person. It’s my favorite time of year. I love the cold. 

There is something about the morning after a snowstorm in the mountains. It’s peaceful. Snow-covered pine boughs droop close to the ground from the weight of the snow and everything is covered with sparkling white crystals. It’s as if snow hides all of Nature’s (and human’s) imperfections. I think snowflakes are an amazing miracle of nature. Back in the late 1800s, a fifteen-year-old boy thought so too. Wilson Alwyn Bentley received a microscope for his birthday. Known as the “Snowflake Man,” he discovered that, “every snowflake was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated.” He went on to photograph the intricacies of snowflakes, combining a camera with his microscope and labeling it photo-micrograghs. 

Those freshly fallen, intricate-patterned crystals also illuminate the secret lives of woodland creatures. I have witnessed the tiny tracks of a country mouse and the larger paw prints of coyotes, grey foxes, or even wolves while cross-country skiing. On one adventure, through the maze of Nordic trails at Pole Knoll, I discovered mountain lion tracks, which, at first, I thought were wolf tracks. Later, at home, after reviewing the photos I took, we noticed there were no toenail impressions, something that would have been present were it a canine. And…the tracks had drops of bright red blood in them, which will happen sometimes when the snow gets icy and cuts into their paws.

While living in Northern Minnesota, I snowshoed down a frozen and snow-covered river that had several wolf tracks which led me to believe this was a pack of wolves’ normal route. That night a friend of mine and I camped out under the stars, on the natural embankment above the river, in minus 12 degrees, to see if the wolves would return. They didn’t, and the bitter cold of the wee hours of the morning sent us hurrying back to my friend’s cabin to defrost in front of her wood stove. Because animal tracks show up so well in the snow, it is the easiest and best way to witness the goings-on of the many wild animals and their daily journeys.

I love to throw on my cross-country skis or snowshoes and venture out into the forest through freshly fallen snow — the deeper the better. Usually, there is no one else around except maybe a friend and the quietness is calming. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are two of the best types of exercise. I dress in layers because I get pretty warm and will start peeling off jackets and sweatshirts. Many days in the White Mountains are fair-weather snow days where the sun is shining and the temperatures are just right — not too cold, but cold enough to keep the snow frozen. However, sometimes, if it gets too warm, the snow will get slushy and that is no fun on a pair of cross-country skis.

Many years ago, when I was writing my “Take A Hike” column for the White Mountain Independent, Apache guide, Jerry Ethelbah, took me to the top of Mount Ord, located on the Fort Apache Reservation. We cross-country skied to the top which took us a few hours and then turned around and skied back down to the bottom. I should say, we flew back down the mountain — it only took us 50 minutes. It was one of the coolest experiences! That day was a fair-weather day and Jerry wore shorts and no shirt.

Here in the White Mountains, our spring, summer, and fall seasons bring crowds of people to visit our towns because of our cooler temperatures. When it starts to cool off a little in the desert, though, they head back home, not knowing that our winter season has so much to offer. We have Sunrise Ski Park working hard to keep the ski hill groomed and provide an amazing skiing experience with 65 trails on three mountains. Also at Sunrise, on good snow days, you can take a sleigh ride with Kicker, an avid horseman and Apache guide. He provides songbooks with the lyrics to Christmas carols if you are lucky enough to ride during the holidays.

Bring a sled or buy one locally at one of our stores and check out the sledding hill over by the Railroad Grade Trail. I would recommend a good sled, one that will hold up to the long haul down the side of the mountain. There isn’t a tow rope back to the top, but there is a restroom and plenty of parking and it’s free and tons of fun! A few miles down State Route 260 towards Greer is Pole Knoll on your right, which is my go-to for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. There is a maze of trails. I recommend taking a picture of the map on the kiosk or, if available, a paper map from the box attached to the kiosk. The trails are marked just like a ski hill; green for easy; blue for intermediate; and black for difficult (or scary). 

If you use one of the paper maps, please put it back when you’re done so others can use them too.

Unfortunately, State Route 273, just off State Route 260 by the Sunrise Park billboard, is gated and closed to vehicles less than a mile past the Sunrise Convenience Store. However, I like to cross-country ski or snowshoe there, starting at the gate and following the snow-covered road toward Mount Baldy. It’s a much flatter and open area, but it is also a popular snowmobile route. This could be a good thing after a deep snow because snowmobile tracks make good cross-country ski trails — you just have to share the space. There is plenty of parking and a restroom there as well.

There are other trails at lower elevations too, such as the Springs Trail or the Billy Creek Connector Trail named for Billy Creek which runs through it. The creek is beautiful when covered in snow and ice with small, trickling waterfalls that add ambiance to your hike. I recommend either snowshoes or tall, waterproof winter boots with good tread if the trail is covered with snow. There are areas along the trail where it ascends and descends along a rocky path. The Country Club Trail is flatter and easier to maneuver on snowshoes when it snows, however for those who want a good workout, Pat Mullen Mountain is located about a mile from the Country Club Trail kiosk on forest road 185. It is a half-mile climb to the top and the views are pretty incredible. 

If you plan on climbing up mountains in snowshoes, make sure you have good “teeth” on the bottom of the shoe. 

I could go on and on about the winter here in the beautiful White Mountains, but I don’t have enough space in the magazine. I could try and convince you that it is the best season of the year…that it is magical in many ways…because, like they say in many of the holiday movies I have been watching lately, “You won’t see it until you believe it.”

For maps and more information about some of the areas listed in this article, 

go to wwwoutdoorssw.com