Fort Apache Indian Reservation, covering 1.6 million acres, is home to the White Mountain Apache tribe. The Tribe encourages you to visit their land to recreate and enjoy its natural beauty, including high-elevation lakes and coniferous forests; wetlands, streams, and rivers; and a variety of landscapes from mountains to deserts. This reservation has one of the highest levels of biodiversity of any of Arizona’s tribal lands.

Be advised that a permit is required for visiting the Reservation if you drive off any paved road. There are some areas that are off-limits to all visitation, and other areas restricted to certain types of recreation or number of users. For more information, please contact the White Mountain Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Department at (928) 338-4385 or www.wmatoutdoors.com. There are several places for a birdwatcher to visit, and these are just a few:

1. Alchesay and William’s Creek National Fish Hatcheries. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages and operates two fish hatcheries on the Reservation, and they are open to the public. Both hatcheries are located in the ponderosa pine forest type along the North Fork of the White River. Both are accessible from Hwy. 73. Visitors are welcome at both; open hours are Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. Picnic facilities, restrooms, and interpretive displays are available, and a guided hatchery tour can be pre-arranged if desired.

NOTE: Since William’s Creek Hatchery is located a few miles off Hwy. 73 on a dirt road, you technically need a day-use Reservation permit to drive on that dirt road. Alchesay Hatchery is located on a paved road, and a Reservation permit is not required. Contact 928-338-4901 for more information.
At the hatcheries, look for riparian and forest birds such as Belted Kingfisher, Osprey (summer), Bald Eagle (winter), Great Blue Heron and other herons, Indigo and Lazuli Buntings, Yellow-breasted Chat, Brown Creeper, migrating warblers and vireos, and many other species.

2. Kinishba Ruins. Kinishba Ruins is the remains of a village built and occupied by ancestral Pueblo people between about AD. 1250 and AD. 1400. The site is roughly seven road miles southwest of Whiteriver. "Kinishba" is an anglicized Apache phrase that translates to "brown house." High desert, grassland, and chaparral species such as Phainopepla and a variety of sparrows can be found here. Due to the recent Kinishba wildfire, please check with the Tribe on access.

3. Canyon Day Wash Riparian Area. Located south of Whiteriver off Hwy. 73, Canyon Day is a large riparian system worth exploring. There are few trails, and you’re basically on your own to find your way around. Large cottonwoods, a healthy willow complex, and rocky bluffs and cliffs hold a variety of birds from Blue Grosbeak to Rufous-crowned Sparrow.

4. Hawley and Sunrise Lakes. Both are accessible off Hwy. 260 east of Pinetop and are high-elevation lakes. The Hawley Lake turnoff takes you about 9 miles off Hwy. 260, past the White River (a good stopping point for riparian birds) to this picturesque lake. Look for diving ducks such as Common Merganser; also Eared Grebe and Bald Eagle. Golden-crowned Kinglets and other high-elevation birds may be found here as well. Sunrise Lake is located off the highway to the Sunrise Ski Area. Look here for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl.

Reservation permits may be purchased at many locations, including:

• Hon-Dah Outdoor Center and Hon-Dah Gas Station, at the junction of Hwys. 260 and 73 three miles east of Pinetop.
• Bob’s Bang Room and Pawn Shop, Lakeside.
• K-mart, Show Low
• Western Drug, Springerville
• Sunrise Lake Service Station

Return to Birding Zones Overview