My family is driving from South-central Montana to Tucson and back, the last week of January and first couple weeks of February. We plan to camp along the way.
Weather-wise, what is Eastern Nevada (more specifically, the US 93 corridor) like in the Winter?
Weather-wise, what is Central Utah (more specifically, the I-15 and US 89 corridors) like in the Winter?
Usually it’s really fucking cold but most likely dry. If you’re talking camping in a RV or the like, doable. Tent camping? I wouldn’t try it, because cold and wind are not conducive to a fun experience.
Your plan is to wake up every morning, pack up camp, drive for the day, set up camp, sleep, and then do it all over again the next day? That sounds … really ambitious. I’ve camped in the winter during various “Klondike” camps around Utah, and west of Utah Lake for “fun”. It’s quite cold, but we haven’t had much snow yet this winter.
In general, you can probably expect temperatures to range between the teens and the 40’s. forecast.weather.gov will help you get precise forecasts on particular locations as the dates get closer.
For camping, I recommend Snow Canyon, north of Saint George. It is very beautiful. And should be nice this time of year.
Should’ve specified: we’ll be sleeping in our old camper. The plan is to do 250-300 miles a day (we’ve done it before).
Unpredictable. It’s been an unusually dry winter, so right now no snow. In a few weeks, who knows?
Have you done freezing weather camping before? I would worry about the plumbing freezing up.
If it looks that cold we can easily dump the water tank, or not fill it in the first place. We’ve camped out pretty cold before, below freezing.
We’re not planning on getting way out into the boonies, or really high up (often the same thing, I guess).
I have tent camped in Southern and Central Utah in winter. As SmartAleq says, it will be cold but likely dry, and won’t be too uncomfortable if you have an appropriate tent and there isn’t too much wind, and of course, you don’t mind the cold. Most state and national parks will not have firewood for sale, so if you want to have a campfire you should plan on bringing wood or getting it somewhere along the way.
In Utah on your I-15 to US Hwy 89 corridor Dixie National Forest has a lot of good camping, and while it is slightly outside of your corridor, Bryce Canyon is beautiful in winter (one of the campgrounds is always open and the staff clears snow from the roads and some of the sites). You can then go through Kanab and hit either the North Rim or South Rim of the Grand Canyon if you are so inclined, and then head down into Flagstaff (cheap and clean boarding at DeBeau Hotel or Grand Canyon Hostel within walking distance of downtown; get dinner at Diablo Burger and breakfast and pastries for the road at Tourist Home) and then be on your way down through Phoenix.
Eastern Nevada is going to be very cold and likely very windy. Other than Great Basin National Park I don’t think there is a lot to see, and I don’t know how much of the park is even accessible in winter. From the NPS website it looks that all campgrounds are closed except Lower Lehman Creek, and I can’t get any detail information on that one from the site link. Unless you are an experienced high desert winter camper, I wouldn’t go that route.
Frankly, I’d come back through southeastern Utah going through Monument Valley to Moab and camp at Needles or Islands In The Sky (both are districts within Canyonlands National Park), or alternatively take the Trail of the Ancients through Moki Dugway and up to Natural Bridges National Monument and Goblin Valley State Park (where the mining planet scenes in Galaxy Quest were filmed), and then either back over to Moab or west through Capitol Reefs and back up through Provo and SLC. I’ve done those at this type of year and the area is actually pretty moderate provided you don’t get a lot of wind. There is a lot of pretty cheap hotels in Moab that are practically empty in winter, and you can hit Arches National Park for a day or even just a few hours, as it’s a pretty small park and a lot of the area is restricted from hiking, so most of what there is to see can be seen from the road.
Good luck, and enjoy.
Stranger
When you say ‘camping’, are you talking about a campground with electrical hookups, or dry camping? If the former, I’d suggest buying a small electric heater to take the chill off, especially in the morning. Then flip a coin to see who has to get up and turn it on.
Neat website. After a couple minutes looking at it, I’m surprised you’re asking. You’ve probably got more camping experience than the whole board combined.
Not the North Rim at this time of year. They’re closed from Mid October to Mid May.
Last time I visited the North Rim it was August and 124 degrees at Phantom Ranch, yet it still snowed on us just north of the North Rim.
Windy days gonna jostle that VW a bit. Nights are much colder than days. Be prepared for snow at any time above 5000 feet. Many campgrounds will be closed for the season.
Always buy firewood locally. Transported firewood can spread devastating invasive species.