Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, is a beautiful small town in the White Mountains. It’s a great place to escape with the family to relax and have some real bonding time out in the beautiful outdoors, especially during the summer.
For people unfamiliar with the area, it can be hard to find fun activities for the whole family, but never fear! Here are 16 family-friendly activities to do in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona.
#1 – Have a Lake Day
Fool Hollow Lake is a state park with a 149 surface-acre lake surrounded by wooded national forest lands. It has lots of wildlife and surrounding trails. The large lake is perfect for swimming and canoeing, and there are also hiking trails nearby.
The best season to swim at Fool Hollow is late spring to early fall, May to October.
#2 – Check Out Adorable Wood Carvings
The Burly Bear Cabin is a fun little shop where you can watch wood be carved outside, buy bear- and wildlife-themed treats and toys, check out beautiful handmade furniture, and browse clothing and decorations.
The Burly Bear is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day except on Sunday, when it is closed.
#3 – Sample Delicious Handmade Fudge
The Gingerbread Cabin is a sweet place to take the kids to sample handmade fudge. They also have an assortment of other products like clothing and decorations to browse.
#4 – Mountain Nature Center
Help your kids discover and appreciate nature at the White Mountain Nature Center. It has lots of programs for kids and is widely known for its world-class raptor training area. Check out their website for more information about their world-class raptor training exhibition. They have a variety of classes and events going on throughout the year.
#5 – Homemade Ice Cream and Axe-Throwing at Sweet Slade’s
Craving a cold treat during your family vacation? Come to Sweet Slade’s and try your hand at being a lumberjack while enjoying our delicious homemade ice cream. Our axe-throwing lanes are open from 5 PM – 9 PM Monday through Saturday.
Our free-to-use game room is stocked with board games the entire family will enjoy, and the Tiny Town play area for little ones will keep them entertained with imaginative play for hours.
#6 – Try Disc Golf
Wilderness Ranch is a beautiful disc golf course full of trees and well-maintained grounds. It’s reasonably priced at only $5 per player. Unfortunately, they are not renting disc golf equipment at this time, so don’t forget to bring your own–or you can buy or rent some from Parked It Disc Golf, a local sporting goods store.
Another great place to go disc golfing is the Show Low Park Disc Golf Course. This course is next to a children’s playground. It can be a little difficult to navigate, and you will need to bring your disc golf equipment, but it doesn’t cost anything to use the course.
#7 – Take a Hike (In a Fun Way)
There are lots of different hikes you can choose from near Pinetop-Lakeside, but here are the most kid-friendly ones to consider if you’re bringing little ones:
(P.S. All of these trails are dog-friendly, so don’t be afraid to bring the pets, too!)
Blue Ridge Cave Trail No.608
This trail is a beautiful walk through the woods. There is a nearby stream, and the hike is fairly easy. It is 4.6 miles long and would take about an hour and a half to finish.
The trail can get a bit rocky, and there are also sometimes horseback rides on the trail, but the views make it worth it! The best time to visit is April through October.
Country Club Trail No.632
This trail is 3.4 miles long and is a loop trail. It should take about an hour and ten minutes to finish. The best time to visit is May through October. It’s a lovely walk, and sometimes wildlife can be seen on the hike.
Show Low Lake Trail
This is another great hike. It’s about 2.2 miles and the route type is out and back. It takes roughly 41 minutes to complete. The trail is peaceful and great to visit at any time of the year. You can observe ducks and other wildlife, it’s also a great place to admire the fall leaves.
Springs Trail
Last but not least, Springs Trail. 3.6 miles and the route type is a loop, this trail takes about an hour and 11 minutes to complete. This trail is great to visit year-round. It’s a popular trail so you’ll most likely meet other people.
This trail is beautiful with a spring running through it, and is an easy stroll. You also might see some wild horses on the trail!
#8 – Go for a Refreshing Swim
The Show Low Aquatic Center is a great place to go swimming, especially on a rainy day. It’s a nice, clean indoor swimming pool with 6 lanes and a 25-yard pool with an adjoining leisure pool. It has lifeguards, a water slide, a hot tub, a full locker room, and showers. The price for general admission is $2 for kids and $4 for adults.
Unfortunately, it will be closed for four weeks from November 23 through December 27 because of its winter schedule.
#9 – Go Horseback Riding
Porter Mountain Stables is a great place to have a trail ride and enjoy the scenery. Plenty of trees and wildlife, and friendly guides. Although it’s a very good stable, please make sure you get email confirmation when booking an appointment, to avoid having a miscommunication when booking. The price for an hour-long trail ride is $60 for kids and $65 for adults.
#10 – Camping
There are lots of different camping options in the White Mountain area. Here are some great ones near Pinetop-Lakeside that are kid-friendly.
Fool Hollow State Park
This is a nice, clean spot to camp, and there are plenty of trees around so you feel surrounded by nature. There are bathrooms, showers, hook-ups for trailers, and private lot parking. Fool Hollow Lake is not far from the campsites, so you can go fishing or canoeing while you camp.
You can also call in reservations. It is a $3.20 reservation fee per reserved site. Monday through Thursday it is $7 per vehicle for the park entrance fee, Friday through Sunday and holidays it is $10 per vehicle. Individual/bicycle is $3.
Show Low Lake Campgrounds
Another good place is Show Low Lake Campgrounds, which surrounds a 100-acre lake. There are 75 different campsites, seasonal showers, bathrooms, electric hook-ups, picnic ramadas, and a playground.
All sites have a 2-night minimum on weekends and a 3-night minimum on holiday weekends through reservations only. Any extra vehicles will be harmed by an extra $6 per vehicle.
Standard family sites are $24 per camp unit per night, and the reservation fee is $10. Standard family pull-through sites are $26 per unit per night.
Los Burros Campground
Los Burros Campground is another great spot to camp. It has no fees and a bathroom, but there is no water available. There are picnic trails and you can tent camp or trailer camp there. The best season is May through October, there are no garbage services.
This campground is located in a meadow surrounded by aspen trees. There is also an old ranger station near the campground with an old barn and corral that is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
#11 – Go To the Movies
Go see a movie at the WME Village 8 Theater. You can get popcorn and treats, and sit back and relax. There are summer kids’ movies, $4 per ticket per show. Regular ticket prices are $7 to see a movie before 5 PM (for everyone), $9 for an adult after 5 PM, and $7 for children, seniors, and military.
#12 – Kayaking
Woodland Lake is a great place in Pinetop-Lakeside to go kayaking. Surrounding the lake is a park with ball courts and kids’ playground areas, a 1.25-mile paved walking trail, bathrooms, a boat ramp, and a dock. It’s best to go in the summer, late spring, or early fall. It’s also a great place to see some local wildlife.
A good place to rent your kayaks from near Woodland Lake is JT’s WildLife Outdoors. Here, you can rent kayaks and other boats to use at Woodland Lake.
#13 – Farmer’s Market and Art Walk
From May through September, there is the Show Low Main Street Farmer’s Market and Art Walk. This is a fun time to get some home-grown vegetables, fruits, handmade treats, and crafts. There are all kinds of products you can find at the farmer’s market, and there are even entertainers.
The art walk is a part of the farmer’s market and has local artists’ work.
#14 – Play at the White Mountain Family Fun Park
This park has a lot of different alterations, including go-karting (family track and fast track), laser maze, arcades, and mini golf. It’s a very fun time, and you can also get food to eat there.
It’s $40 per person for 2 hours there, and $72 per person for an all-day pass. Click here to see more pricing.
#15 – Picnicking
Have a picnic at Woodland Lake Park. Woodland Lake Park is a beautiful park with pickleball courts, a fishing lake, picnic shelters, bathrooms, and walking trails. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a classic picnic with family in the beautiful fresh air of the White Mountains.
#16 – Sunrise Park Resort
Sunrise Park Resort is a ski resort during the winter, and you can go mountain biking and do archery here during the summer.
In the winter, it has ski lifts, a bunny hill, lots of trails, skiing, snowboarding, ski bikes, cross-country skiing, and tubing. There are also ski and snowboard lessons, there are equipment rentals located at the base of Sunrise Mountain.
In the summer, they have downhill mountain biking, Apache Alpine Coaster, scenic lift rides, 3D archery, and a general store.
The Sunrise Campground and RV park are now open. You can buy permits online or at the general store.
There are also other campgrounds nearby, such as Hawley Lake, Big Bear and Little Bear Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and others. You can reserve a campground here.
The Sunrise Park Lodge is open year-round. There is another lodging nearby at the Hon-Dah Resort casino, or you can stay in Pinetop Lakeside, which is only a 41-minute drive away.
The nearby restaurants are the Sunset Grill (located at the hotel), the Sunrise Pub, the Eagle’s Nest, Crown Dancer Cafe and Grill, Sunrise Day Lodge Cafeteria, Midway Cafe, Apache Peak Lodge, and Cyclone Day Lodge.
Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona, is a beautiful area and a great place to spend time with your family, especially during the summertime. There are also many seasonal activities in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona for couples and families.
