How safe is it for a single woman to stay at Southern Arizona's National parks? (camping, conditions)

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

"but what's wrong with the ones further south from the Mogollon Rim?"

Anytime you climb in elevation, the temperature drops, chances for snow increase....even in AZ....and you are escaping CO for that reason, right ? Heck, the most prominent summit in AZ, Mt Graham, is south of the rim by a long way. The mtns south of I-10 will still get snow, not sure of the ones south of I-8, but I suppose they could.
Your best bet to escape the cold, is to head to the southwest corner, still plenty of BLM land, still some mtns to hike/camp in, you might even find employment at the Quartzsite gathering, where hundreds of vendors set up a huge marketplace to service the thousands of RV'ers who flock to the BLM lands there each year....but it can still get cold.
I've seen 28 degrees in Yuma at 5AM....but by 11, it's back to just a shirt.

Good Luck, come on down, there's plenty of room.

Regards
Gemstone1

Thank you!

I was thinking of the Chiracahua Mtns? When I visited that region in March one time, they seemed downright balmy to me. January might well be another thing, of course.

And yeah, that desert contrast in temps within a space of 24 hours can be astounding. I've experienced such extremes myself in various spots out West here. I'm pretty tough, all in all. I can handle camping in the Canyonlands of Utah in November, and that place is not exactly tropical then by any means. If it goes down to 30F at night, but goes back up to 60 - 70F during the day, no prob.

I'm looking to escape 3 feet plus + snow in the Colorado mountains along with temps commonly plummeting below zero for weeks at a time. From my point of view, conditions that would seem too cold for many are a stroll through the park for me.

[cocaseco]

I don't get it? Cortez gets hardly any snow, and i dont recall it ever going below zero for weeks down there. Surely you can find a place to stay in state? Why not NM? Easy winters, less problems. Ive seen people tent camp all winter on the front range foothills too.

[gemstone1]

"I've seen people tent camp all winter on the front range foothills too"....True, look at Paeonia...cute little place, lots of produce grown there.

Regards
Gemstone1

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by cocaseco

I don't get it? Cortez gets hardly any snow, and i dont recall it ever going below zero for weeks down there. Surely you can find a place to stay in state? Why not NM? Easy winters, less problems. Ive seen people tent camp all winter on the front range foothills too.

You're kidding, right? Depending on what sort of winter we're in for, we can have a foot of snow laying on the ground for December through March. Some winters it's true that we don't get as much snow, but it's a roll of the dice. One thing that is always true is that it gets damned cold here. Every single winter I've lived here one or two or three Natives (or white men) who got too drunk to make it to the shelter die from exposure in our public parks. It's very sad to read of such endings. In addition, most public lands in Colorado are at higher elevations; hence the three feet of snow comment. People are not allowed to camp in downtown Cortez, anyhow. The folks who end up dying under a picnic table in the park die there illegally. The whole reason it's illegal is because we don't want folks staying in the parks and dying. The police try to make nightly sweeps, but they can't be everywhere. Is that plain enough?

And what part of the Front Range are you from? I grew up in Colorado Springs and NO ONE but NO ONE can make it through the winter in the foothills there (7,000 ft plus elevation) with only a Coleman tent and a sleeping bag which may or may not be good enough for whatever low the temperature may reach on any given night. I've gone camping with my crazy for the mountains ex husband in the foothills outside of Boulder in January, and you better damn well be with an experienced mountain outdoorsman, or better yet - be one yourself - or else take the very real chance of going to sleep in the snow and never waking up.

I don't mind people giving me a hard time about being ignorant about Arizona, but don't even go there when it comes to Colorado of which you obviously know nothing.

To anyone out there who may be reading this thread. DO NOT GET THE IDEA THAT YOU CAN CAKEWALK THRU WINTER IN THE COLORADO FOOTHILLS OR ANYWHERE ELSE HERE.

Jeeze, the stuff people come up with. That's just criminal to possibly give some innocent kid or someone such a fatal idea.

@Gemstone1 LOL, right on about Paonia. Cute little town - sure looks nice in July. And Cortez has winters that remind me of my times spent in the tropics. Yeah, right.

[Kimballette]

So much for a discussion of Southern Arizona's national parks...

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by Kimballette

So much for a discussion of Southern Arizona's national parks...

Yeah, really. But there's been a couple of folks here who have given me some good info. I'd be glad to discuss the difficulties of winter mountaineering in Colorado over on the Colorado forum. Anyone who is actually contemplating such a thing should post their questions there.

[cocaseco]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

You're kidding, right? Depending on what sort of winter we're in for, we can have a foot of snow laying on the ground for December through March. Some winters it's true that we don't get as much snow, but it's a roll of the dice.

Its untrue more than true. Very rarely is there continuous snow cover. Move to a south facing hills, or east of I25 and the longest stretch, on average, is closer to a week. But any given winter can be the exception.

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

One thing that is always true is that it gets damned cold here. Every single winter I've lived here one or two or three Natives (or white men) who got too drunk to make it to the shelter die from exposure in our public parks. It's very sad to read of such endings. In addition, most public lands in Colorado are at higher elevations; hence the three feet of snow comment. People are not allowed to camp in downtown Cortez, anyhow. The folks who end up dying under a picnic table in the park die there illegally. The whole reason it's illegal is because we don't want folks staying in the parks and dying. The police try to make nightly sweeps, but they can't be everywhere. Is that plain enough?.

I dont remember anyone being confused or needing it plainer? Made sense to me the first time.

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

And what part of the Front Range are you from? I grew up in Colorado Springs and NO ONE but NO ONE can make it through the winter in the foothills there (7,000 ft plus elevation) with only a Coleman tent and a sleeping bag which may or may not be good enough for whatever low the temperature may reach on any given night. I've gone camping with my crazy for the mountains ex husband in the foothills outside of Boulder in January, and you better damn well be with an experienced mountain outdoorsman, or better yet - be one yourself - or else take the very real chance of going to sleep in the snow and never waking up..

Like I and other said, its done every year. I happen to most recently be from Fort Collins which is under 5000 feet, a huge difference. To be noted, i grew up in Delores area, so i also know Cortez winters well.

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

I don't mind people giving me a hard time about being ignorant about Arizona, but don't even go there when it comes to Colorado of which you obviously know nothing..

Sensitive much? Nobodys giving you a hard time. You posted on a public forum asking for opinions. You will get some that dont agree with you. If that feels like a hard time, then you should talk to friends and stay off public forums. It can get rough in here. How does anything i said equate to me not knowing anything about the state I lived in for half a century? Or did you mean i knew nothing because I questioned what you were doing and you couldnt articulate a better response?

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

To anyone out there who may be reading this thread. DO NOT GET THE IDEA THAT YOU CAN CAKEWALK THRU WINTER IN THE COLORADO FOOTHILLS OR ANYWHERE ELSE HERE..

Cakewalk is subjective, but it is done every year. Take a walk in the Boulder foothills in january and see the dozens of camps. Do people die? Yep. But far and away people do survive. You presumably have more skills than some of them and probably would do better.

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

Jeeze, the stuff people come up with. That's just criminal to possibly give some innocent kid or someone such a fatal idea..

Nice diversion to a silly idea.

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

@Gemstone1 LOL, right on about Paonia. Cute little town - sure looks nice in July. And Cortez has winters that remind me of my times spent in the tropics. Yeah, right.

They dont call it the banana belt for nothing.

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by cocaseco

Like I and other said, its done every year. I happen to most recently be from Fort Collins which is under 5000 feet, a huge difference. To be noted, i grew up in Delores area, so i also know Cortez winters well.

[mod cut-- don't insert your own comments into a quote]

They dont call it the banana belt for nothing.

WE actually refer to our town as the twilight zone, not the banana belt. But of course, you know that already. Yeah, right.

Climate Graphs, CD Forums:

https://www.city-data.com/city/Cortez-Colorado.html
Average lows Dec/Jan: 10 - 12 F

https://www.city-data.com/city/Dolores-Colorado.html
Average lows Dec/Jan: 9 - 11 F

https://www.city-data.com/city/Fort-Collins-Colorado.html
Average lows Dec/Jan: 15 – 17 F

https://www.city-data.com/city/Colorado-Springs-Colorado.html
Average lows Dec/Jan: 10 – 11 F

Stats for Colorado Springs and Fort Collins are for the cities themselves, BTW - not their higher elevation foothills.

I double dog dare you to go set up camp in January at the very lowest elevation of the San Juan National Forest beginning just a few miles north of Dolores. Burro Creek Campground maybe? No? How about at the junction of CO 145 with the Roaring Fork? Not happy with that either? Well, fine. How about just Ground Hog or McPhee? Hell, I double dog dare you to just make it through an AVERAGE Dec/Jan at Canyon of the Ancients.

Please let us know what sort of gear you would require and remember no RV or snappy LL Bean acessories allowed. Good on your mountaineering ski's or have you gotten a tad rusty? Please keep a detailed record of your daily experiences from just getting a morning campfire started in the snow and cold and take 'er on from there. Then get back to me.

Otherwise, get over it.

Or if you can’t, start a thread in the Colorado forum so the rest of us can laugh you off the board. We’re always up for a little fun over there. No one on the Arizona forum is that fascinated by this Colorado trivia, anyway, and it's inappropriate for my thread here. I'm not going to discuss it further in this forum.

[saffordpastor]

I spent part of one winter in Colo Springs....love the town, love the scenery....hate the cold....and it got COLD there.

Winter camping there would be pretty miserable in my opinion...but I was raised in AZ and am a desert rat.

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by saffordpastor

I spent part of one winter in Colo Springs....love the town, love the scenery....hate the cold....and it got COLD there.

Winter camping there would be pretty miserable in my opinion...but I was raised in AZ and am a desert rat.

Very few in Colorado would attempt winter camping, either. A few may go out with the CORRECT gear and the EXPERIENCE - usually college kids or whatever who want to do dare devil stuff like climb frozen ice falls high up in the mountains or just make dramatic proof of their Colorado Mountain creds. I did the same a few times myself in my early 20's, but I grew up here and knew what I was in for and had the right equipment plus a highly capable companion.

I would hate to think that some gullible kid from Tucson or Phoenix would get the idea that they could come to Colorado for a ski trip or something and try to do it on a budget by winter camping outside of Telluride, thanks to the mis-information posted on this thread.

Plus, why in the world would I consider pulling up stakes and making a 1,000 mile round trip for no reason, since it's so "easy" to camp back home? I wouldn't dream of posting that I grew up in Arizona and I know for a fact that Tucson summer temps never get over 70 degrees F. This poster is doing the equivalent about Colorado.