Greer sits at 8,356 feet in elevation and is located in the White Mountains of Arizona near the New Mexico border. It is surrounded by the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest and The little Colorado River flows through the center of town. Its position in the valley of the Little Colorado River near various lakes means that temperatures are significantly milder than surrounding areas. While Greer is a four-hour drive from Phoenix and a four-and-a-half hour drive from Tucson, it remains one of the most popular summer vacation destinations in Arizona as it is consistently 20-30 °F cooler than the deserts. Greer is about 20 minutes or 16 miles (26 km) south of Springerville and Eagar, accessed by paved road via Highways 260 and 373. From Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside, it is 40 miles (64 km) or approximately a 45-minute drive east using Highways 260 and 373. Greer is home to Sunrise Ski Resort, the largest ski park in the state. The resort has 7 lifts that span over 3 mountains, Apache peak (11,100 ft), Cyclone Peak (10,700 ft), and Sunrise peak (10,700 ft).

Greer has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Dsb) with warm summers coupled with chilly nights and cold, snowy winters. Due to its high elevation at more the 8,000 feet (2,438 m) summer temperatures range from the mid 60s to high 70s but the area will occasionally reach temperatures around 80 °F (27 °C) or higher. During the summer months, monsoon storms develop daily in the late morning and early afternoon hours, bringing heavy rain, strong wind, thunder, lightning, and even hail. These thunderstorms help lower temperatures of the surrounding areas. In July, the average high temperature is 76.0 °F (24.4 °C) with an average low temperature of 46.8 °F (8.2 °C) and in January, the average high temperature is 42.6 °F (5.9 °C) with an average low temperature of 13.5 °F (−10.0 °C).

Winters are harsh with nighttime lows in the single digits and daytime temps in the 40s. Snowstorms and flurries are common during the winter months. Greer gets 97.5 inches (248 cm) of snowfall annually and accumulating snow can reach up to 6 feet. Ice forms on the surrounding lakes in late November and doesn't thaw till early March. The White Mountains is one of the coldest and wettest places in the state. The official all-time record low in Arizona history was recorded at −40 °F/°C near Hawley lake on January 7, 1971. White Mountains also holds the record for most precipitation in a calendar year at 58.92 inches (1496.6 mm)

On Monday, November 5, 2001, the Northern Lights were visible from Greer and other areas around the Mogollon Rim and White Mountains including Payson, Heber-Overgaard, Show Low, Eagar, Alpine, and McNary. At 8:00-10:30 pm, the people of east central Arizona were treated to the natural light display due to extremely strong Solar flares that allowed the Aurora Borealis to be seen this far south. The lights appeared a deep red and pink hue.

There is a diverse abundance of flora and fauna around Greer. Trees like Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Maple, Boxelder, and Oak, can be found in the riparian habitats in the area Juniper, Pine, Aspen, Fir, and Spruce dot the surrounding landscape. Wildflowers and mushrooms can also be seen in many of the meadows in the White Mountains.

The White Mountains is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the state. It is home to the Mexican Grey wolf, and as of 2021, there were only 186 wild wolves living in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. The area is also home to the elusive Apache trout, the state fish of Arizona, the Apache trout is one of two native trout species to the state, the other being the Gila trout. Historically found in nearly every body of water in the White Mountains, the Apache trout was pushed to near extinction. Today, Arizona Game and Fish and the White Mountain Apache Tribe have been working together to conserve and manage both the Apache trout and the Mexican Grey Wolf.

Before westward expansion, the White Mountains were home to Grizzly bears, but in 1936, the last Grizzly bear in Arizona was killed on Escudilla Mountain just east of Big lake.
The region is home to many species of fish, both native and nonnative, including Rainbow trout, Brown trout, Brook trout, Tiger trout, Cutthroat trout, Apache trout, Sonora sucker, Desert sucker, Little Colorado River sucker, Little Colorado spinedace, Roundtail chub, Speckled dace, and Loach minnow.

A few species of Crustaceans and Mollusks that can be found here are Northern crawfish, California floater mussel, and Three forks springsnail.
Many bird species are abundant in the region, including Merriam's turkey, Dusky grouse, Gambles quail, Scaled quail, Montezuma quail, Mourning dove, White-winged dove, and Band-tailed pigeon.

Waterfowl that can be found in and around the region's bodies of water include Great blue heron, Black-crowned night heron, Snowy egret, white-faced ibis, Killdeer plover, Canada goose, Mallard, Redhead, Bufflehead, Cinnamon teal, Green-winged teal, Gadwall, Northern pintail, American wigeon, Northern shoveler, Lesser scaup, Common goldeneye, pied-billed grebe, and eared grebe.

Species of Raptors and Corvids that live in the area include Bald eagle, Golden eagle, Osprey, Red-tailed hawk, Northern goshawk, Coppers hawk, Sharp-shinned hawk, Common black hawk, Swainson's hawk, Rough-legged hawk, Zone-tailed hawk, Northern harrier, Peregrine falcon, Prairie falcon, Merlin, American kestrel, Great horned owl, Long-eared owl, Short-eared owl, Bar…

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