Best place in the South West to Winter?

M

Montana Kev

New member
If you could spend the winter in the South West where would you go?
Wonder if anyone has experience wintering on lake Mead or Powell areas or has recommendations for other SW areas to Winter.

It’s not going to be much above zero for the rest of the week here in Montana. We have been considering places due south for a winter multi month getaway ether in an RV or on our 22 (maybe a 25 in the future). Lake Mead looks appealing even though we have never boated there. Mead is easy to fly to/from with Vegas close by, the drive from MT is easy as well. We would probably store the boat down south in the winter and leave the RV there in storage year round or rent a Casita as an option to the RV. So we are sort of looking for a winter base camp, and your recommendations .

Thanks,
Kevin
 
Hi Kevin,

Here's an opinion based on a couple decades of fleeing the frozen northland during the winter months...

It gets COLD in the desert southwest. Lake Meade or Powell are going to be plenty chilly in the winter months. Now, that's relative compared to Montana (we lived in the Black Hills for nearly 30 years, so I am familiar with the cold), but it still is too cold for my tastes. If you are determined to stay in the southwest, San Diego has a very moderate climate. We've spent some time in Yuma, but not much in the way of boating there besides the Colorado River. Lake Havasu would be warmer than Meade or Powell. Having done winter months in an RV and the boat, if you are determined to boat, the places where you have the best chance of decent winter weather are south of Latitude 26º. In the continental US, that means the Florida Keys or deep south Texas... neither in the southwest. Of those two, Florida has the best cruising opportunities. I've been damn cold in either during the winter when a norther blows in.

If you are RVing, the options increase... as long as you don't have your heart set on being on or near the water. We spent the better part of a couple winters RVing along the Colorado River - Laughlin, NV; Lake Havasu, AZ; Parker, AZ; Yuma, AZ. The Coachella Valley in California has some good RV opportunities (Palm Springs area); there is the Salton Sea there, but I'm not a big fan. Of course, there is the Sea of Cortez if you are willing to head to Mexico. After 15 years of living/wintering near the Mexican border, we do not go to Mexico anymore, due to the drug violence and instability in that country.

Drive the extra distance to deep south Texas, and you have the Rio Grande Valley, a major winter destination for thousands of RVers. If you want to be on the water there, you go to the coast - Port Isabel, South Padre Island, Port Mansfield. A bit further north and you have Corpus Christi, Rockport, and Port Aransas; that 150 - 200 miles can make a difference in climate, generally by about 7 or 8 degrees.

We traveled the Sun Belt from California to Florida for quite a few years before we made the decision to settle in deep south Texas. If you are RVing, that's a great way to see what area suits you.

I gotta say, getting away from the cold gives you a whole new perspective on winter. Good luck with your decisions.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Here are a few random thoughts.

When we got back from cruising Our Journey for a couple of years, Judy avowed the the best sailing weather in the World was Southern California.

The best weather in the US is San Diego. Mild in the winter, temperate in the summer. We've spent a winter on a boat in Florida, and you'd better have heat, and those northers do blow through about every 2 weeks. A summer in the south east USA is hot and muggy.

The desert gets windy and cold in the winter, but there are thousands of Snow Birds RV'ing it at Quartzite, Az with a whole contingent of Canadians at Ajo or Why, Az.

As far as boating goes, there isn't a lot of cruising in the west coast south of Pt. Conception. You can only go to Catalina so many times, and you have to watch the weather window for the Channel Islands, since they're farther north. However, again, the weather is milder than any other place we've been. The San Diego coast gets down to freezing once every several years. We have a (great) son-in-law from Michigans Upper Peninsula, and his contention is that we've never experienced winter. He lives as close to the beach as he can afford.

The Chula Vista Marina in South San Diego Bay has a RV park contiguous with it. A thought would be to put the boat in the marina and live in the RV park. Chula Vista also has a free, nice launch ramp about 1/2 mile from the RV park.

Boris
 
Ha ! We all have the same idea....I have been watching the weather in Key West and South Padre Island on my Google page... I too am looking for warmer weather....
One nice thing is winter rates at Catalina two harbors is only $50 a week.

Joel
SEA3PO
 
SEA3PO":himp9mgz said:
Ha ! We all have the same idea....I have been watching the weather in Key West and South Padre Island on my Google page... I too am looking for warmer weather....
One nice thing is winter rates at Catalina two harbors is only $50 a week.

Joel
SEA3PO
Click to expand...

At that price, maybe I should moor down there for a month or two each winter and just fly down every other week to use the boat...
 
We are wintering in Casa Grande, Az. Woke up to 38F this morning. Occasionally it gets down into the high 20's later in the winter. Also we are a long way from boating water.
 
Although at least one year of my life, I sailed to Catalina every weekend of the year--I would not say that it is "warm"--in comparison to Florida. For example today is in the high 70's in Pensacola. It will be getting colder--and if you want warm, go further South than S. Calif. Even the Sea of Cortez or Baja is cool in the winter--and most cruisers go at least as far South as Cabo or Puerto Vallarta on South.

Although there can be some cool spells in the winter in S. Florida--it varies year by year. Last winter we sent a week in the keys (as part of a month in S. Florida)--and it was very pleasant--T shirt weather most of the days.

If you are looking at RV parks--there are literally hundreds in S. Arizona which fill up every winter--but the weather is not to my taste. As noted, cool and windy often---plus the side to side RV's are just not our style.
 
Kevin,

We have gone south every winter since 2002. Two winters in Cabo San Lucas, two in the Florida Keys, and the remainder in Rockport Texas. Florida is buggy, expensive, and the weather constantly changing.

I would go back to Mexico ( Cabo ), in a heart beat, but the drug cartels and the general political situation has us scared off. We have been going to the Baja since 1972 and have driven or flown in more than 25 different years. No more.

Rockport is warm (85 degrees today), laid back and inexpensive. I rent an RV space for $260/month and a slip for the boat for $100/month. I split the slip with another boater, so its actually only $50/month. The fishing is great if that's your thing. It's important to me. We come in Nov. and go home in April. I rent a boat barn for $750/year and leave the flats boat in Texas.
IMG_1967.sized.jpg

Brent
 
Nice Drum!!! caught a lot of those in N.C. right behind the rifle range on new river.

I don't know the best place to stay in the S.W. but I know where not to stay. People get the wrong idea about the desert in winter. I lived in 29 palms for 3 years and have seen snow 3 times. the daily temp is anywhere from 70 to 25, and often on the same day which leads to wind. wind leads to blowing sand and it gets in everything. its cold dry windy and just plain no fun. if you are going to think about a desert areas look at the elevation.High desert can get below freezing at night. Vegas is high desert. last night it was 37 in Vegas and windy. then in the early spring the south will get a lot of rain off the baja coast. flash floods in march thru April are common.

I would op for the coast of California or Texas. right now its snowing on the ground with a high of 27 and a low of 14 in marysville.
 
Brent,

Rockport sounds very livable and affordable, I will have to check it out. I have spent little time in Texas and need to get down there. I grew up in GA and spent a ton of time in FL. I have been to FL twice in the last 6 weeks. It’s a bit crowded for my taste unless you’re cruising. I have spent time in Mexico but like you, today I would steer clear. We lived many years in San Diego and southern Cal, it does have the best weather in America but after living in Montana we have issues with the noise and hordes of people. We like southern UT/northern AZ areas, to us it seems plenty warm in the winter, about like our cool summers on Yellowstone lake with a mix of sun, warm, snow and storms. At this stage we are still working but can work remote for months at a time and would like to spend January thru April south. Once we retire we would be more nomadic but thats a few years out. To us anything above freezing is warm. 45 and sunny is summer.

Kevin
 
Sounds like Southern Texas and San Diego are generally considered the best overall. At least to this casual observer. :smile

But you'd have to learn to drawl your words out properly in Texas, eh, Jim? And escape during the Summer, too! :wink

My dentist retired and moved to Maui, and built a new house on a golf course. If one has the bucks, that, plus a good sized sportfisher for the Trade Winds, might be the ticket! :smiled

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
I'm with Kevin on the "all temps are relative" :)

Visiting my brother here in Nor-Cal right now, he's been shivering for days (it got down to the 30 and 40's...boohoo) I'm running around in a t-shirt like it's June in Duluth :)

As a native California who did a reverse migration to the upper Midwest (someone has to fill all those empty spots left by those Portland/Seattle pilgrims) I can report that eventually some sort of internal thermostat adjusts itself where "cold" and "warm" become something different all together.

I'll be happy to PT live-aboard in 30s and 40's in PNW...just look for the red and white 22-cruiser with a t-shirt wearing captain :)

Brenton
 
A couple of thoughts about Mexico. We all see the sensationalism which is the "failed narco state" of some towns near the boarder. In reality the most of Mexico is just as safe as it ever was. We have also been going to Mexico for many years--since the mid 60's. We have never had a serious problem in Mexico. My God daughter and her husband have a 53 foot Navigator in Enseneda Harbor (waiting out the 6 month sales tax in Calif.) They go down every other week and have no problems driving down or in Enseneda. I have good friends who are cruising Mexcio and they have no problems along the coast. Cabo, La Paz and many mainland communities have large ex pat communities and have no problems. I have several friends who have second homes in various parts of Mexico and they have no problems.

So don't discount Mexico because of the sensationalism!
 
Bob,

We too have friends that go to Baja and the mainland with no problems.

However, please note that today the Mexican Government issued a recommendation to Mexican citizens returning to Mexico for the holiday period to only travel in conveys and during the day. The government offered police escort for the conveys.

In general, Americans who have had problems have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You get to use your judgment. Mine is to stay north of the border, and we've been going to Mexico for the last half century. It truly is a wonderful country, but as long as the USA is fueling the drug trade, there'll be trouble down there.

Boris
 
I hesitated to respond to the Mexico suggestion so I wouldn't sound like a broken record. It is more than sensationalism when people get seriously dead on a daily basis. Our home is near the Texas/Mexico border, so we probably hear more about it than the media reports in other parts of the country. NONE of the tour operators in our area go to Mexico currently. NONE of the student tours during spring break have gone there the past two years. Visitation both ways on the TX/MX border is way off. There are a lot of Mexican nationals who own property in our area who are afraid to travel back and forth. The week before we left home, 47 people died in Matamoros in shoot-outs; mostly innocent bystanders. I have no doubt that the CA/Baja border is likely less dangerous because more drugs are moved across the mainland areas. Ensenada is 70 miles south of San Diego on a multi-lane highway, well-traveled, decent road. Much of the border south of TX is truly a war zone; two major drug cartels are battling it out for territory. They are better equipped and more motivated than the MX government troops. The situation on our side of the border is as safe as anywhere else in the US.

Given the right conditions, I might consider travel in the Baja or flights to resort areas; you could not pay me enough to travel by road in the mainland currently. And we used to go there very regularly. I consider myself informed, not influenced. If in doubt, read the US State Department warnings for travel in Mexico.

There are pleasant places to winter here in the good ol' USA.

Respectfully,
Jim B.
 
Well, how about that?

We had our first cold snap of the season. Got down to 38 last night, and the prediction is that it will not get above 60 today. Ice on the windshields. That's good for the foothills.

Boris
 
I think I am going to try for South Padre Island this winter..(1750 miles from Camarillo ) ..I agree about Mexico... just not the place to be .... If I had my choice....I would live in Fiji.... totally safe...warm..super nice folks..just a perfect place to live....inexpensive...and uncrouded..almost abandoned...very few Americans... the normal tourests are New Zealanders and Austrailians...and they are easy to get along with....plus the marina at Latoka is wonderful... The airfare is $1000 (on sale) round trip...but then the hotels are always under $50...food is cheap and the locals love Americans (Why ?) .... I stayed a month in the jungle..and loved it..

I also love Two Harbors at Catalina...$50 a week (winter rates)..and very nice...easy going.. might go out there for a week or two... The Channel Islands are nice...but no dock to tie up to or services... Santa Barbara is also a good marina...super clean bathrooms..and inexpensive as marina's go...worth a week or so.

Joel
SEA3PO
 
Another thing about Fiji.....Great place to buy clothes... wonderful shirts at unbelievable prices.....$10-15 at Acme Shirt shop... just my style too.

A huge lunch will cost you $5 and everyone rides the bus...$ ,25... most hotel/motel rooms I stayed in were $40-$50 tops.. although I don't think I went a day without a invitation for dinner... or a party..great folks...
Even went to High Tea once there...Very Nice..just like family.

But....Be ready for heat...it's hot in the jungle...but that is what makes it Fiji...you adapt to the heat in a day or two....then you love it...it also rains about 15 minutes a day two or three times a week...but it's warm rain and everyone acts like it is nothing.... you just get wet and dry out...

Joel
SEA3PO
 
My apologies to Jim, for using the word sensationalism. The murder and narco wars are extremely serious, and I would not consider crossing the border by car or RV in Texas. In no way did I mean to trivialize the situation along the Mexican border. There are still many good places to go in Mexico, which are just as safe as they were in the past.

However, if you do want to RV in Mexico there is an excellent forum on RV net:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fusea ... rum/66.cfm

This will give you up to day information on crossings and safe areas.

The current crime rate in Mexico is certainly an issue, but it is still lower than many parts of the world--and for the most part localized to a certain area. There are also parts of Pensacola (name most cities in the US) where you would be very cautious about traveling.

Personally I would prefer to go to Mexico by boat--but RV remains safe and a very reasonable alternative.
 
Back
Top