Pole Knoll Recreation Area

Area Status: Open

Pole Knoll is very typical of the knolls that grace the White Mountains. View a map of the area. Open now for cross country skiing and winter recreation.

At a Glance

Area Amenities:	Toilets
Usage:	Medium
Best Season:	All year. The trails are used for cross-country skiing in the winter
Restrictions:	No overnight camping is allowed in the parking areas.
Water:	No
Restroom:	Vault Toilet (1)
Operated By:	Forest Service

General Information

Directions:

From the Eagar stoplight, travel west on AZ Highway 260 for 12 miles. The trailhead is on the left.

General Notes:

There are two trailheads. The main one is located just off AZ 260 and provides parking for up to 20 vehicles. In addition to a parking area, toilets and an information board are available. The secondary trailhead is located off AZ 373, north of Greer. Parking is available for 6 to 8 vehicles and an information board is there. No overnight camping is allowed in the parking areas.
The Pole Knoll Recreation Area is primarily known as a cross-country ski area but the trails accommodate other activities throughout the rest of the year.
The trails are signed with their respective names as well as with internationally recognized Nordic ski symbols. You might not think these will be very helpful in the middle of July, but what goes for skiing often goes for walking and bicycling as well. A green circle means an easy trail. A blue square indicates a moderately difficult trail. A black diamond is the most difficult Pole Knoll has to offer.

Parking:

Accommodates Trailers

Recreation Map

Map showing recreational areas. Map Information

Activities

Mountain Biking

Day Hiking

Pole Knoll is very typical of the knolls that grace the White Mountains. The north side is heavily timbered with spruce, fir and aspen. The west and south aspects are mainly bunch-grass with some mixed conifers toward the top. The east side of the knoll is a mixture of ponderosa pine, spruce, fir, aspen and even a few hardy oak trees

Trails and roads provide access to most sections of the knoll. The trail system covers all terrain found on the knoll. Vehicles are prohibited from the fragile grass slopes and the recently built trails in the forested areas. Please obey all road closure signs. There are enough roads without making new ones. The Pole Knoll cross country ski area is closed to motorized vehicles, including snowmobiles.

Each trail has been given a name. The trails originating from the Pole Knoll side have descriptive names and the names of birds and animals. The trails originating from below, near Greer, have been given numbered designations. Pamphlets describing the trails are available at the sign-in register at each of the trailheads. Please return the pamphlet when you are through so that others might use it. The Pole Knoll area offers fantastic views of the White Mountains, both in the distance and close up. Keep your eyes to the ground and you may see wildflowers, mushrooms and animal tracks. Look up and you can see Sunrise Lake, Sunrise Peak and Mt. Baldy stretched out to the southwest, Greens Peak to the north and the Little Colorado Basin to the east.

USGS Maps: 257 SE, Greer, AZ; 258 SW, Greer, AZ.