Winter Travel in AZ & UTAH

[Schools Out]

We are planning our first winter trip to AZ & Utah this Feb. & March. We had hoped to stay in the Sedona area & the south rim area in Feb. and the St. George Utah area in March. Some recent posts (about cold weather & snow) have us doubting this plan. Do we need to look at lower elevations or farther south? Any thoughts from those with experience...any campground recommendations?
We are mostly concerned about the AZ part of the trip as the friends we're meeting in St. George insist it will be in the 70's.

[TBRich]

It can still be pretty cold in Northern Arizona in Feb and March. Snow can happen well into April. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is open year-round, but the North Rim closes in the winter ... be sure to check the Grand Canyon website to determine when the North Rim opens...and check WeatherBase for more information on temp records for specific towns.

Sedona is at the bottom end of Oak Creek Canyon and sits on the north side of the Verde Valley. Its winters are relatively mild, but it can snow there, and it still gets cold. A great place to use as a base in the Sedona/Cottonwood/Clarkdale/Jerome area is Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood ... electric/water hookups...open all year long. There are some commercial RV parks in the area as well.

Southern Arizona...Phoenix, Tucson and points south are great in the winter...and there are lots of good places to winter camp.

[Charlie M]

Have you considered the "Alumafiesta" rally to be held in Tucson, AZ Feb 5-10, 2013? Temps should be mild.

[Len n Jeanne]

Charlie, I see you're in Las Vegas. How would you rate Lake Mead as a late February destination? Our trailer is now winterized, but we may de-winterize it once we hit southern climes during a planned trip from Death Valley to Zion NP in February-March by way of some of the state parks in between.

Cool weather isn't a problem for us. Driving on icy roads is more of a concern. We've been to Zion NP many times and at different seasons, but are less clear on points west.

School's Out, in addition to Zion National Park, we've enjoyed camping at Snow Canyon state park near St. George.

[Phoenix]

TBRich's comment that it could still be cold in February and March is correct. In Arizona, in the early spring, a hundred miles north/south and a 1,000 feet in elevation can be the difference between mild temperatures (65-75 degrees in the day, and 40-45 at night) and winter conditions. Recommend you use Weather Forecast & Reports - Long Range & Local | Wunderground | Weather Underground or other weather sites to review historical weather data for the cities closest to your destinations to see what you may encounter.

[Mike Leary]

All good advice, elevation is the key traveling in the early spring. Here's Flagstaff (7k) in March of this year:

[Charlie M]

By late February our temps are in the mid to upper 60's, very nice. Lake Mead has dry camping as well as an RV Park with EWS, not sure about cable. Several times we have stayed at the Oasis Las Vegas Resort at south end of the strip across I-15 from the Bass Pro Shop. This is a great park. The price varies with the site category.

[Len n Jeanne]

Thanks! Temperatures in the 60s would make a nice May or June up here.

[Ahab]

This was taken on February 22, 2011 in Oracle, Az. at 9:00am. We are 35 miles northeast of Tucson at 4600'. Just to show you how elevation can change temperature. It was all melted by 4:00pm.

[Woosch]

We were in Sedona in March and it snowed on us although it melted off by mid afternoon. We enjoyed ourselves very much. Visited the Grand Canyon and caught some spring training in the Pheonix area.

[Schools Out]

Thanks to all who chimed in with good advice. Charlie, we've signed up for the Tucson rally. We'll stay 2 weeks in that area then head towards Lake Mead & St George Utah in early March. Sedona will have to be a "weather permitting" stop. Like Len & Jeanne, cold isn't the problem, it's the thought of driving on icy (mountain) roads. The weather links will be very helpful as we travel. Never thought too much about the impact elevation has on the weather...so we'll have to pay attention to that as well.
We're still looking for some campground recommendations between Phoenix & the south rim area. Any? Also the best route.

[Charlie M]

"We're still looking for some campground recommendations between Phoenix & the south rim area. Any? Also the best route"

There is a great RV Park at Camp Verde, AZ, Distant Drums RV Park. It is across I-17 from a casino and several neat attractions in the area; a railroad trip-short. We did this one a few years ago and it was fun.

[Schools Out]

5,000 miles later & we're back from an amazing "out west" trip. The campground suggestions & weather knowledge that you all shared made it even better. We paid attention to elevation & only encountered snow twice...once at Bryce Canyon & once while driving through Flagstaff. (No, I'm not counting leaving & returning to MI)

My 3 favorite rv parks for this trip were: Mead Lake RV Park... We paid a little more to have a site facing the lake & the mountains. But, well worth it. It was an ever-changing view out our front window. There is alot to do in the area. Valley of the Fires SP is right up the road.

Distant Drums RV Park in AZ, is another favorite. Probably the friendliest, cleanest & best run park that we stayed at. So much to do in this area. Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon are a short drive. We visited several ancient cliff homes & ruins that were less than 10 miles from the park. I fell in love with AZ in this part of the state.

And, in Hurricane, Utah... Willow Wind RV Park is very nice. It was a pick because it's close to Zion NP & close enough to get to Bryce Canyon, Snow Canyon & St George quickly.

Thanks to the ones that suggested these parks.