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where in az can i camp in the snow in december? would like it to be a nice isolated area. thanks alot for all your help

Once the snow falls, no area is more isolated than where your car is parked. I've had too many white-knuckle trips of three hours to make 15 miles with a rental car in 6" of fresh snow on a dirt road.

i was thinking of payson. would that be a good place to go?

I've caught some snow in the Mazatzals. Flagstaff is probably more reliable, and colder if you prefer that.

North Rim?

joshyboy1369 wrote:i was thinking of payson. would that be a good place to go?

We are lucky to have any snow in Dec or any month. We have had snow lots of the months but to say yeah in Dec. NOT. Then if we do get it.. it melts off fast so if it snows on the week days then by the weekend it is gone. On the rim after the first few snows they close down alot of the roads so they don't have to rescue people on roads they don't know. So they only thing you can do is watch the weather and plan spur of the moment....

From Sunrise Ski area near Greer, off of Hwy 260, you can drive along Hwy. 273 toward Big Lake, stop and park at where it's gated off. Hike, snowshoe or xc ski from there to the base of Mt. Baldy, and go up into the meadows along the West Baldy trail. December can have a lot of snow there, or none at all. Jan/Feb more reliable as to snow. That area holds more snow than just about anywhere in the state, more than Flagstaff. There is no cell phone coverage though, so if you get into trouble you are really up a creek.

Best thing to do is watch weather for several areas of the state: Greer, Flagstaff, Jacob's Lake, Summerhaven, Alpine, Hannagan Meadow. Those areas all get quite a bit of snow at times, but sometimes one area will get it while the other won't. If you are new to snow camping it's best to try it close to a paved highway. For example, although car camping is not allowed at Pole Knoll near Greer, backpacking is allowed. You could backpack a mile or two from the trailhead, which is serviced by a snowplow. That way you could make your escape easily. You will have to have snowshoes or cross country skis, though.

azbackpackr wrote:From Sunrise Ski area near Greer, off of Hwy 260, you can drive along Hwy. 273 toward Big Lake, stop and park at where it's gated off. Hike, snowshoe or xc ski from there to the base of Mt. Baldy, and go up into the meadows along the West Baldy trail. December can have a lot of snow there, or none at all. Jan/Feb more reliable as to snow. That area holds more snow than just about anywhere in the state, more than Flagstaff. There is no cell phone coverage though, so if you get into trouble you are really up a creek.

Best thing to do is watch weather for several areas of the state: Greer, Flagstaff, Jacob's Lake, Summerhaven, Alpine, Hannagan Meadow. Those areas all get quite a bit of snow at times, but sometimes one area will get it while the other won't. If you are new to snow camping it's best to try it close to a paved highway. For example, although car camping is not allowed at Pole Knoll near Greer, backpacking is allowed. You could backpack a mile or two from the trailhead, which is serviced by a snowplow. That way you could make your escape easily. You will have to have snowshoes or cross country skis, though.

This is where I usually go also. However, I have found that New Mexico is usually more reliable for snow.

Grab a topo map of the state and look for spots above 8000 feet. Then watch the weather and make sure it snows. As several others have stated, sometimes it doesn't snow at all in December. But when it does snow, those spots above 8000 feet are much more likely to stay snow-covered through the winter. Lower elevations often melt fairly quickly. There are a handful of remote snow-depth reporting stations across the state as well which might help. Google " arizona snotel" for more info on those.

chumley wrote:Grab a topo map of the state and look for spots above 8000 feet. Then watch the weather and make sure it snows. As several others have stated, sometimes it doesn't snow at all in December. But when it does snow, those spots above 8000 feet are much more likely to stay snow-covered through the winter. Lower elevations often melt fairly quickly. There are a handful of remote snow-depth reporting stations across the state as well which might help. Google " arizona snotel" for more info on those.

Exactly; snow hangs around on the 2500m+ areas for months down here in Tucson, sometimes, so up north you should have a plethora of options...

2500 meters? Are you trying to edjamacate us or somethin'? ;)

Another thing that works, sometimes, is to call the nearest ranger district. For example, if there has been snow here in town of two or three inches, I really don't know if that means Pole Knoll got a foot of snow or NO snow. I don't want to drive the 13 miles of icy highway just to find out I would be ruining my skis on rocks, so I call the the ranger station. They almost always have some idea of whether or not it's skiable.

The snow in this state is very unpredictable. Sometimes Alpine gets three feet and Greer gets none. Pinetop sometimes gets a lot, and we might get none over here--meanwhile they are snowed in! You just never can tell, and you definitely can't tell by watching the Phoenix news!! You have to call someone in the actual area. This past winter was great. I was talking to our district ranger today, and he is saying they think it will be a pretty good winter for the snow.

I will miss it, too. I will be doing the snowbird thing this year. Biking, hiking and kayaking in Yuma!

so here it is. I want to camp isolated in the snow near water weather the water is in a lake or stream as long as i can filter and drink. i woulds like a camp site name. i will be going end of december of early january?

Anything that involves a "camp site name" is rarely going to be "isolated". Also, any established campsite that is snow-covered in winter is also closed. That doesn't mean you can't still camp there though. The biggest problem is that for it to be isolated, getting there in snow could be difficult or impossible without snowshoes. (Many forest roads close for the season after the first snowfall). If you can get there in a car, its probably not going to be isolated.

And all of it depends on this year's weather. There have been many years here in Arizona where there is just no snow yet by the end of December. It doesn't matter where you go.

I thought chumley's first response was right on the button. You have to watch the weather and go to where the snow turns up. Also as he mentioned, reaching such a campsite can still be a challenge. Anyway, ff you get out often enough, the snow will eventually find you.

If there is snow there may not be actual water, because it may be frozen. You build a fire, bring a big pan, melt the snow. Or you bring water.

You didn't say in the last post if you want to car camp or backpack. That is a big distinction on this website, so be sure to specify so we know how to advise you. We go car camping and dayhiking, or we go backpacking.

Another consideration in snow camping is to make sure none (or very few) of your clothes are cotton. You need to have waterproof hiking boots, and wearing gaiters (ankle covers that keep snow from going down into your boots) can be crucial. Having plenty of extra pairs of non-cotton hiking socks is also important. Keeping your head covered while sleeping will help you keep warmer--make sure you bring at least two snow hats/stocking caps in case one gets lost. So many times I have been to the snow and have not been cold, while my companions are cold simply because they didn't take care to use proper footgear and gaiters. The minute your feet get wet the fun is over.

You can buy Camp Dry waterproofer at most sporting goods stores. Spraying your hiking boots liberally with this stuff can help a little. You can buy the gaiters online from Campmor catalog. I use the knee-high ones for snow. The ankle-high ones are for bushwhacking, but they are better than nothing.

The old mountaineer's saying is: "If your feet are cold, cover your head." That is why I say to wear the snow hat to bed.

After a little snow this past weekend (4-8 inches above 8k, 2-4 around 7k) it looks like the weather pattern this week is going to set up the entire state for a good bout of precipitation. The OP asks about snow camping in Payson, and while there may be some times when the snow level drops that low, and even a couple of inches may accumulate, if you're looking for snow, you'll definitely find it above 6000 feet this upcoming weekend. Looks like 1-2 feet are forecast above 6000 through Tuesday, with an even bigger storm Wednesday/Thursday.

I wouldn't be surprised to see 3-4 FEET above 8000 feet by the end of this week!!! ... which should set up those elevations for solid snow cover for a couple of months. With a big storm like this, it's probably a good bet that even 6500+ feet will have a nice snow cover for a couple of weeks.

Happy camping!

Oh! I'm sure glad I'm in Yuma. I live in that snow stuff most winters! I love cross country skiing and snow shoeing, but having to struggle to keep the house warm and dealing with the cold on a daily basis really gets tedious.

I did see that Greer is supposed to receive up to 7 inches in the next couple days, but my home town of Eagar is only going to get a couple of inches.

Why not snowshoe up the Peaks and visit Humphrey, and then find a nice area on the west side of the Peaks to dig out a spot and make a campsite?

jhodlof wrote:Why not snowshoe up the Peaks and visit Humphrey, and then find a nice area on the west side of the Peaks to dig out a spot and make a campsite?

If this is the plan, remember that once snow arrives you are required to get a backcountry permit to access the peaks.

Backcountry permits, which are free of charge, are available at the Peaks/Mormon Lake Ranger Station and the Supervisor's Offices during the week. Once the Arizona Snowbowl opens, permits may also be obtained at the ticket window at the Agassiz Lodge on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM. For more information, call the Peaks/Mormon Lake Ranger Station at (928) 526-0866.

Also note that the NWS is forecasting 33-49 inches of snow on the peaks by Tues evening. And the Wednesday storm is supposed to be more potent than this one! So definitely check on the permit, and check with the ranger station as the potential for avalanches may be high depending on all the variables that go into that.

It is snowing and has started to stick to the ground at 5000 ft here in Payson. We have about 1 inch on the ground now. Will see what it is doing by morning....