Community Forums

lakewoodpaul · 05-08-2015, 09:00 AM

Looking for comments re: wintering in Arizona, I think we are getting bored with Fl. So any comments would be appreciated. Please indicate which area you stay at and include weather conditions. Thinking about Yuma or Nogales areas. Thanks in advance.

Ret Syntst · 05-08-2015, 09:14 AM

Yuma, AZ.

No humidity and no bugs.

Winter lasts for about 2 weeks (end of Dec into Jan), temps in the mid to high 40's. Rest of the time it's in the 70's until about the middle of March when they start creeping up to to 80's and 90's.

By then it's time to head north.

Skip426 · 05-08-2015, 09:17 AM

Many area in AZ are at high altitude and can have COLD winter weather.
Nogales , Flagstaff, Bisbee, will have colder temps than Yuma , Lake Havasu City and Phoenix.
My winter park is just south ( 27 miles ) of Lake Havasu City, and most years has very short periods of cool damp weather , in 5 months this year, I only missed 4 days of golf due to the weather.
Coolest times are , mid Dec to mid Jan , but temps still get into the 60's most days.

datrbone8 · 05-08-2015, 09:20 AM

If you're looking at southern Arizona I would suggest Tucson. A good sized city with a small town feel. It's got about everything you may want. An active downtown with shops, museums. restaurants, galleries, live music venues. Sonoran Desert Museum, Pima Air & Space Museum, several observatories, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Reid Park Zoo, Old Tucson Studios. The University of Arizona is here so there are activities (sports, etc. related to the college). In the winter months there is the Tour de Tucson, Fiesta de los Vaqueros and the Tucson Int'l Gem and Mineral Show.

If you like outdoor activity there's no shortage of things to do. There is desert as well as mountains. There is hiking, biking, bird watching, etc. If you like to golf there are world class golf courses as well as many public courses in the area. There are several great state parks in the area. Our favorite is Catalina State Park, in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains.

The other advantage is you are centrally located for a wide variety of day trips to places like Tombstone, Bisbee (and Nogales)

There's a large number of RV parks and resorts in the area with a range of facilities, depending upon your interests and budget.

I've been to Yuma and aside from the weather there wasn't much there to interest me. Obviously a matter of personal preference. Maybe try both places the first year and make your own decision.

I wouldn't advise Nogales. It's a border town and has "issues". Nogales, Sonora is a fun day trip though. PArk your vehicle on the US side and walk across to spend the day .

HR2004 · 05-08-2015, 09:27 AM

+1 for Tucson.. like previous post, so many things to do. We have stayed there last 3 years and reserved our spot for 2 more years.
Justins Diamond J. Justin's Diamond J RV Park, Tucson, AZ Home Page

CampDaven · 05-08-2015, 09:38 AM

Yuma and Tucson both have much to do in and away from the city. If you google them you will find a great many hidden gems of places that most folks dont look for. The natural, cultural and historical abound!

If you are adventurous, you will NEVER run out of grand things to see and do in Arizona! Just check my blog.

twogypsies · 05-08-2015, 02:50 PM

One above reply stated that Nogales is cold. This is not true. It's about the same as Tucson. However, Nogales would not be a good place to winter. Many folks stay in Amado just south of Tucson and Green Valley. The Amado RV Resort has as nice clubhouse, indoor pool, restaurant and activities. It's about 30 miles south of Tucson. That's as close to Nogales you'd want to get. It's a nice park.

Other popular areas with nice winter temperatures are Tucson, Casa Grande (can get dust storms), the greater Phoenix area including Mesa and Apache Junction, then over to the Colorado River area of Havasu City down to Yuma.

There are a lot of RV parks east of Tucson in the Benson area but it will be cooler than Tucson but very tolerable, especially during the day.

You don't want to veer beyond the above-mentioned areas because of elevation changes, thus, much colder.

Good luck finding your spot. When you decide where you want to be, do another post on places to stay in that particular area. You might want to try out 2 or 3 places the first year to see what turns you on. They're all different.

We LOVE Arizona!

Ramets · 05-09-2015, 05:06 AM

We've wintered in FL., San Diego, and AZ. We spent 4mos. in Mesa, AZ. one winter. The temps were almost perfect....BUT, what we didn't like is that on all those beautiful looking days, we couldn't open the windows because of the dust that's constantly in the air. Everything gets covered. You can't keep your car clean, unless you wash it everyday. It's worse than pollen because it's never ending.

CampDaven · 05-09-2015, 06:10 AM

Arizona. Desert. Dust. Yep!
Yet we and over 300,000 snowbirds "brave" it for the fine lifestyle and weather. And they come to Quartzsite to the tune of about a million each January.
And low humidity makes my old bones much happier!
I cannot "wax-on, wax-off" anymore so I get it done for little $ in AZ. The result is a protective layer of patina (dist) that settles on the MH, and is later rinsed off at Blue Beacon. Showing off a shine is not important for us. And shutting the windows on rare occasions is part of the AZ Package!
FYI, the RGV has had two terrible winters, and FL gets some nifty dust from Africa (hence the lovely red sunsets).
Everyone has favorite places to winter, and they all have pluses and minuses.

Smitty77 · 05-09-2015, 09:25 AM

We've never spent months in the area, but have traveled AZ often. Concur with Tucson and Yuma areas as being the most popular for snowbirds. I toss Green Valley into the Tucson area

!

Now for you people that know winter, vs what I would call it from San Diego, there are some areas that can get a bit cold from time to time, that are worth a look. Camp Verde/Cottonwood/Sedona area's are such areas. Lots to do, and some smattering of weather.

You might determine out long you will be in the area, and break it down into a first year bite sizes of month periods. Go see a few areas, and that can form a going forward decision for future longer term visits.

Best of luck,
Smitty

Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43' · 05-09-2015, 09:43 AM

We spend time in Yuma. Check out Cocopah Golf and RV Resort. Less than $600/mo + electricity.

what next · 05-09-2015, 10:02 AM

Yuma very short cool spell , no bugs. Then bounce around and see the rest. Love Tucson in March.

Don and Dale · 05-09-2015, 10:09 AM

another + for Tucson and surrounding area ....and I LIVE in Arizona. Benson is a beautiful area, too. Just another consideration.

Dasmoeturhead · 05-09-2015, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CampDaven

Arizona. Desert. Dust. Yep!
Yet we and over 300,000 snowbirds "brave" it for the fine lifestyle and weather. And they come to Quartzsite to the tune of about a million each January.
And low humidity makes my old bones much happier!
I cannot "wax-on, wax-off" anymore so I get it done for little $ in AZ. The result is a protective layer of patina (dist) that settles on the MH, and is later rinsed off at Blue Beacon. Showing off a shine is not important for us. And shutting the windows on rare occasions is part of the AZ Package!
FYI, the RGV has had two terrible winters, and FL gets some nifty dust from Africa (hence the lovely red sunsets).
Everyone has favorite places to winter, and they all have pluses and minuses.

How very true old knowledgeable grizzled one :-) RGV was terrible. Had me missing Yuma. Next winter maybe a little farther north in Az. I sure liked that warm your old bones up wx in Yuma.

Tom & Kim Living the dream. 10-4 ?