Arizona's White Mountains - Hannagan Meadow Recreation Area

Introduction: The Hannagan Meadow Recreation Area is located in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona on US-191, the Coronado Highway. It is one of the most remote, unspoiled, and peaceful places in the state. The profound quietness is broken only by the occasional car on the road or the songbird. The nearest civilization is the hamlet of Alpine, 22 miles north. At 9,100 feet elevation, Hannagan Meadows offers cool summer weather and snow in the winter. Opportunities are excellent for summer hiking and winter cross-country skiing. There is trailhead access to the Blue Range Primitive Area, one of America's most remote and unspoiled wildernesses. You may stay at the National Forest Service campground or the historic Hannagan Meadow Lodge. [Skip to Part 2]

Far from the hustle and bustle of Pinetop-Lakeside and the popular fishing holes of the White Mountains, secluded Hannagan Meadows in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest offers visitors the best of the Arizona high country experience: beautiful woods and meadows, plentiful wildlife including the endangered Mexican gray wolves, convenient fishing and hiking, and peace and quiet. At an elevation of 9,100 feet, you will find some of Arizona's coolest weather, a wonderful summer respite for desert dwellers. Far from the nearest town, the meadow's night sky comes alight with thousands of stars.

Since 1926, the historic Hannagan Meadow Lodge has provided rustic comfort in this beautiful and remote corner of Arizona's White Mountains. The lodge offers bed-and-breakfast rooms in its main building as well as ten rustic log cabins on the adjacent hillside. The rooms and cabins are well kept with high quality furnishings in authentic early Americana style. As shown in the photo, cabins contain a wood burning stove, beds with old-fashioned posts and individualized furnishings. Each of the upscale lodge rooms is uniquely designed, featuring brass beds and beautiful antiques.

The lodge has a pleasant restaurant open for breakfast and dinner daily in season (lunch on weekends, and limited service during the winter). There is a large fireplace around which to relax. The lodge's general store offers gas, supplies and snacks. The Hannagan Meadow Stables offers horseback trail rides. Guided fly-fishing and hiking trips are also available. Nearby trails lead into the Blue Range Primitive Area and other White Mountain destinations.

The rooms at Hannagan Meadow Lodge are available Friday to Sunday during the winter season, November through April, while the cabins are available daily. The long, snowy winters provide excellent opportunity for cross-country skiing as well as sledding and snowmobiling. The many aspens in the area bring colorful foliage during the autumn.

Hannagan Meadow is located on the scenic Coronado Highway, US-191, about 50 miles south of Springerville, Arizona. For more information on the lodge, call 928.339.4370 or visit www.hannaganmeadowlodge.com.

Part 2: Hannagan Meadow Trails / Blue Range Primitive Area Access