Hannagan Meadow Lodge is located 22 miles south of Alpine on U.S. Route 191. Information: 928-339-4370 or visit www.hannaganmeadow.com.

Hannagan Meadow Lodge

By Robert Stieve

The meadows in the White Mountains are called cienegas. It's a Spanish word meaning "wet, marshy areas," which are rare in Arizona. They do exist, however, and the best-known is Hannagan Meadow. If you've never been, Hannagan Meadow is one of the most beautiful places in the state. Keep in mind, this is a state that includes the Grand Canyon, Sedona and the San Francisco Peaks, so that's really saying something. [more]

Hidden Meadow Ranch is located about 10 miles north of Greer on Forest Road 118. Information: 866-333-4080 or www.hiddenmeadow.com.

Hidden Meadow Ranch

By Robert Stieve

About 100 years ago, Greer got lucky. It was already blessed with aspens, ponderosas, meadows and streams — the natural wonders you read about in Robert Frost poetry — but in the early 1900s, the little village was swallowed up by the newly established Apache National Forest. At the time, the appropriation ruffled some feathers, but looking back, that move by the federal government ensured that Greer and its surroundings would be spared from overdevelopment. It got lucky. [more]