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.
History
Climate
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.
Winter 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.
Mountain statistics
Elevation
The ski area consists of three peaks: Sunrise Peak (elevation 10,700') Apache Peak (elevation 11,000') Base: Summit: Vertical drop: 1,800 feet (2nd highest in Arizona) Cyclone Circle (elevation 10,700')
Trails 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.
Beginner – 31 trails (46%) Intermediate – 19 trails (28%) Advanced/Expert – 14 trails (21%) Advanced/Expert – 3 trails (4%)
Lifts
Lift name Capacity Length Vertical Sunrise High-Speed High-speed quad6800 1400 Pony Fixed double295 50 Rustler Fixed quad3950 875 Fort Apache Fixed triple5180 620 Geronimo Fixed triple4505 1000 Spirit Ridge Fixed quad3900 550 Beginner Surface Lift Single surface lift30042Cyclone CordSwiss Cord surface lift65050 8 Total operational lifts 1 High-speed quad chairs 2 Fixed quad chairs 2 Fixed triple chairs 1 Fixed double chairs 2 Surface lifts Uphill Capacity – 16,000 skiers per hour
Summer 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.
Mountain bike trails 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. Easy – 6 trails (27%) Intermediate – 3 trails (14%) Difficult – 8 trails (36%) Expert – 5 trails (23%)
See also Arizona Snowbowl Mount Lemmon Ski Valley List of mountains and hills of Arizona by height
References
External links
Sunrise Park Resort official website