The Town of Snowflake is the northernmost community in Arizona’s White Mountains, located in the north-central part of the state. From Snowflake, visitors can travel out to some of the most famous attractions in Arizona, from the spectacular beauty of Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelle, to the crisp, clean air and pristine wilderness of the world’s largest stand of ponderosa pine.
Getting to Snowflake
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Travel to Snowflake from the metropolitan areas of Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff is a wondrous journey through the diverse landscape that has made Arizona famous. Your drive can take you along the Mogollon Rim, through tall pines and quaking aspens, or through the western copper country that first established Arizona as an integral part of industry and growth in the late 1800’s.
From Phoenix, Along the Mogollon Rim…
Leaving Phoenix, you’ll travel up along State Route 87, through the Salt River Canyon, where large boulders the size of homes still lay as a testament to the time when mile-wide, violent prehistoric rivers sculpted the landscape. Making your way into Payson (home to one of the oldest rodeos in the country) along the recently improved, 4-lane expressway, you begin your climb up into the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, along the famous “rim road”-State Route 260- at an elevation of close to 7,000 feet. Following State Route 260 into Show Low, an early settlement named for a famous poker hand that determined ownership of the surrounding ranch, turn north along State Route 77. Twenty minutes later, you know you’ve arrived in Snowflake when the clean air, friendly neighbors, and relaxed atmosphere make the 3-hour drive from the city seem like a lifetime away…
From Phoenix, Through the Cobre, or Copper Valley…
An alternative route from Phoenix takes visitors through the communities of Globe and Miami, (the Cobre, or copper valley) where the heart of Arizona’s rich copper mining began. Through the canyons and desert of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation along U.S. Route 60, you’ll arrive in the forested White Mountains town of Show Low (named on the turn of a card), where you continue on north along State Route 77 for 20 minutes into Snowflake.
From Flagstaff…
Heading east along Interstate 40, you’ll pass through the community of Winslow, where you can visit the “Standin’ on the Corner Park,” made famous for the 70’s hit song. You’ll also pass by popular attractions such as Meteor Crater, the Petrified Forest, and the Painted Desert. Turning south on State Route 77 at Holbrook, Snowflake is a pleasant 30-minute drive through the high desert of Northeastern Arizona.
From Tucson…
Visitors from Tucson can travel through the rich history of Arizona’s mining country by traveling north along State Route 77. In the hour and a half trip alongside the San Pedro river, you’ll pass by such famous mining towns as Oracle, Hayden, and Winkelman, originally established for the silver that was mined in these mountains in the 1800’s. Highway 77 will lead you into the communities of Globe and Miami, (the Cobre, or copper valley) where the heart of Arizona’s rich copper mining began. You’ll travel through the Salt River Canyon, where large boulders the size of homes still lay as a testament to the time when mile-wide, violent prehistoric rivers sculpted the landscape. Continuing through the desert and into the Fort Apache Indian Reservation along U.S. Route 60, you’ll climb up into the tall pines, entering Show Low, the first community in Arizona’s White Mountains.
Continue north for 20 minutes to Snowflake’s historic homes, golf, and a multitude of summer events.
