Greer, Arizona… Have you heard of it?
Greer is a tiny town tucked back in the white mountains surrounded with aspens, ponderosa pines and spruce trees. If you aren’t looking for it, you will go right past it off Highway 260 and even if you are looking for it you may pass it (speaking from experience).
I’ve been going my entire life and love sharing this place with my family. 
We have kids ranging from 5-19 and they all love Greer. The funny thing is, there really isn’t much to do in the modern sense of things to do.
I don’t have a list of hot spots and tips for crowd control.
What I have is a list of lakes and hikes and tips for catching fish. Greer is slow paced. The Wi-Fi can make you crazy if you want to work remotely up there.
There is no Door Dash or Uber Eats. You can’t even fill your tank in Greer.
But I promise if you crave the outdoors and want to get your kids offline and instead casting lines, make the trip to northeastern Arizona. I particularly recommend going in the summer. Have I mentioned Greer tends to be up to 30 degrees cooler than the valley?
Read on for my best tips for experiencing the gem that is Greer, in the summer.
XO,
Kim
Lodging:
For campers – Hoyer Campground
Cabin rentals – the options are plenty, there are lots of businesses offering rentals as well as homeowners listing on rental sites. A trip to Google will help with specific family needs. I highly recommend booking in advance.
Greer isn’t a place to show up to and expect to find lodging on a whim.
Fishing:
Fishing is what Greer is known for. The Greer Lakes consist of 3 lakes, Bunch, Tunnel and River Reservoir.
Trout is the most common fish to fish for in Greer but here is my tip for fishing with kids. River Reservoir has perch fish that are small and easy to catch with worms.
Kids will have an easier time catching perch and extra fun points, they can 
catch crawdads at all the lakes with just a pole and worms. My kids can spend an entire day fishing for crawdads. Kids stay entertained while the adults keep working for that trout.
Another great fishing spot to take the kids to is the Little Colorado River, game and fish stocks it weekly and kids (and adults) are nearly certain to catch a trout.
You do need a license and they are easily accessible online; I’d get it before heading up. It’s $15/day or $37/year for an adult, children 10-17 is $5/year and under 10 is free with a parent with a license.
Hiking:
There are many spots to hike in Greer. You can map out your hikes online with Alltrails, they rate hikes by popularity and level of difficulty which is very helpful when choosing for your family https://www.alltrails.com/us/arizona/greer, there are also maps at the convenient store, Lazy Trout.
Hiking is really family specific due to ages and skill sets but two we really like are Butler Canyon and West Fork.
West Fork (upper) has one mile loop and such a pretty hike. It takes you up and around a small mountain. I have seen elk and turkey on my hikes through there.
Lower West Fork goes through town and takes you to Badger Pond that’s one mile, you can keep going at get to Mount Baldy. There are no bad hikes/walks in Greer. It’s all beautiful!
You do need to remember the elevation is 8300 ft and takes some getting used to and you won’t move or breathe as easy like you do in the valley.
A fun spot for hiking or just fun splashing in the creek is Government Springs. Simply take Main Street to the end of town and you will see the creek.
Our kids love to play there and catch creatures and splash around. If you are a little more adventurous there is a hiking path to follow and explore.
Rentals:
Greer Gear https://greergear.com/ has rentals for your adventures! Kayaks, paddle boards, bikes and more. They even offer a GPS preloaded with local Geocaches for rent to add to a fun family hike.
I recommend booking ahead of your trip to ensure the items are available for you. Greer doesn’t get too hot, so plan for chilly waters even in the middle of the summer.
Eidelweiss resort https://www.edelweiss-resort.com/ has All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) available for rent. Our teens say ATV riding is the best part of summers in Greer and if you don’t have an ATV of your own, renting one for a few hours is a sure way to enjoy time with your big(ger) kids!
Food:
There are a few sit down places to enjoy a meal, first is the oldest lodge in Arizona and that is Molly Butlers. Molly Butler’s offers lunch and dinner. They have indoor and outdoor seating, a good size bar area and an amazing prime rib dinner.
Rendezvous Café offers breakfast and lunch and always a wonderful daily special. I can’t even decide if we prefer breakfast or lunch at Rendezvous. Everything is delicious there but with lunch you can finish with a cobbler and that is never a bad idea.
Eidelweiss is a resort with a German restaurant, it has a great beer menu, especially to the German beer lovers. We ate there just our last visit and I would say a large pretzel will always make me happy!
I can’t forget to mention the cutest coffee trailer on Main street called Coffee Cure. You are a long way from a Starbucks but believe me you will not be disappointed in this delicious cup of joe!
Shopping:
Most likely you aren’t heading to a tiny village town to go shopping but if you are like me and love to browse and find unique items from places you visited you might want to find the Grey Goose Furnishings and Trading. Stop by and say hello, I think you’d be surprised at all the goodies they have to offer.
The Lazy Trout Market is your one stop shopping for snacks, candy, soda, alcohol and maybe a missed grocery item you forgot to bring up. They also have fun Greer specific items you may want to bring back home with you.
Greer Days:
Every summer in June the town hosts a fun filled weekend called Greer Days.
Greer Days is June 10-11 2022 and fun for the whole family! There will be a 5k fun run, silent auction, lucky duck race, western shoutout, music and dancing and so much more. This event brings bigger crowds so book lodging early.
Greer is where we slow down, cool down and catch up. We play games, we snack, we enjoy each other and marvel at the beauty. Greer is our family’s special place and I hope this guide helps you discover a fondness for this sacred piece of earth we hold so dear to us.
