Our winter 2021-2022 snowbird season was our our biggest mileage and most diverse extended trip to date. We spent roughly two months in Arizona and one month in Southern Nevada enjoying mostly warm and sunny days. After a couple decades of enduring five months of cold and snow every year, nothing makes us happier than escaping winter in the Pacific Northwest. During our three month trip, average daytime highs were 60-70 degrees (great hiking weather), we only had a handful of rainy days, and we didn’t receive any snow. It felt like paradise. In this post I share our trip statistics and travel related costs followed by a photo album of trip highlights. Thanks for joining us.
January sun, beach, & palmsHiking along the US-Mexican borderExploring colorful canyonsThree fun filled months enjoying warmth and sun in Arizona and Nevada
Trip By the Numbers
Total miles driven: 6,107 miles
Miles towing RV: 3,464 miles
Nights out: 87
Nights at private RV parks: 3
Nights free camping (BLM and National Wildlife Refuge): 8
Nights in state park campgrounds: 39
Nights in National Park System campgrounds: 36
Coldest night: 20 degrees (Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada)
Warmest day: 81 degrees (Quartzsite, Arizona)
# of trails hiked: 41
# of photos taken: 6,280
States visited: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and California
State Parks visited: Cathedral Gorge (NV), Kartchner Caverns (AZ), Patagonia Lake (AZ), Catalina (AZ), Picacho Peak (AZ), River Island (AZ), Buckskin Mountain (AZ)
National Park Units visited: Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Saguaro National Park (both districts), Tumacacori National Monument, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Trip Favorites: Kartchner Cavern tours, biking around Tucson and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, hiking at Chiricahua National Monument and Sabino Canyon, kayaking in Black Canyon, camping at Catalina State Park and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
One of many gorgeous desert sunsets
Travel related costs
Diesel + DEF
$2,061
Campsites
$1,785
Propane
$137
Eating Out
$1,027
Sightseeing (cave tours, museums, entrance fees)
$142
Indy loved all the sun too
Photo Album
Leaving home, we spent nights at Spring Recreation Site, Winnemucca, and Illipah Creek Reservoir before arriving at our first destination at Cathedral Gorge State Park
We enjoyed warmth, sun, and stunning hikes at Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada but the nighttime temperatures were too cold for us to linger long.
Moving on from Cathedral Gorge, we spent Thanksgiving week at Lake Mead and then a couple days at Quartzsite before heading to Kartchner Caverns State Park
Owl CanyonAnniversary Narrowsbiking near Hoover DamThanksgiving week at Lake Mead National Recreation AreaTwo night layover at Quartzsite to visit friends
With basecamps at Kartchner Caverns, Catalina, and Picacho Peak state parks, we spent all of December exploring Tucson and the southeastern corner of Arizona
Basecamp at Kartchner Caverns State Parkfor 12 nights. From here we explored Patagonia Lake State Park, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Coronado National Memorial, Chiricahua National Monument, the Dragoon Mountains, and, of course, Kartchner Caverns State Park.Kayaking at Patagonia Lake State ParkLearning about the Apache Wars at Fort Bowie National Historic SiteHiking amongst the hoodoos at Chiricahua National MonumentHiking along the US-Mexican border and hearing tales of Cibola, the Seven Cities of Gold, at Coronado National MemorialFollowing in the footsteps of Cochise and the Chiricahua Apache in the Dragoon MountainsAppreciating the diversity and beauty of Kartchner Caverns State ParkFrom Kartchner Caverns State Park, we moved to Catalina State Park on the NE edge of Tucson. Catalina was our favorite campsite of the trip and served as a great 10 night basecamp for exploring Saguaro National Park Rincon District, Sabino Canyon, biking the Tucson area, and exploring the beautiful trails right there at Catalina. Fall colors lingering into mid-December at Romero Pools above Catalina State ParkEnjoying beautiful desert scenery along the trails of Catalina State Park
Enjoying the fantastic biking trails around Tucson
Indy loved the birds at Catalina, especially the Gila woodpeckersI loved the food at the nearby restaurantsBeautiful weather for Christmas weekRoadrunner at campHiking in stunning Bear CanyonCatching up with our friend JoeBear CanyonEnjoying the fall colors in Sabino CanyonGorgeous cristate saguaro cactus!Sabino Canyon is a desert oasis
Hiking at Saguaro National Park Rincon District
We loved our time with all the saguarosChecking out a Saguaro skeletonOn Christmas Eve we moved from Catalina State Park to nearby Picacho Peak State Park. Here we were joined by our nephew and his girlfriendfor the last week of 2021 and the last of our Tucson area adventures.
Celebrating Christmas on the trail to Wasson Peak in Saguaro National Park Tucson Mountain District
After driving over 1,300 miles, our nephew and his girlfriend were welcomed by a gorgeous sunset at Picacho Peak. Dinner around a fire with family was a welcome event after being gone from home over the holidays.Fun day at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson
Jason and Max summited Picacho Peak
Checking out the US-Mexican border
Tumacacori National Historic Park, one of many missions from the Spanish colonial eraFun with Max and Makala
Ending 2021 and our time in the Tucson area
We started 2022 with a move to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument along the US-Mexican border in remote southcentral ArizonaOrgan pipe cactusHappy to finally visit Organ Pipe!That’s a lot of pipesSunset above our campsite at Organ Pipe Cactus National MonumentLooking south into MexicoChecking out the old mines and ranches in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monumentcristate organ pipewith a rare senita cactusOrgan Pipe offers many great hiking trailsBiking Ajo Mountain Drive at Organ Pipe Cactus National MonumentOne of my favorite days- searching for cristate organ pipes during our Ajo Mountain bike rideOne of our favorite hikes of the trip was the Estes Canyon – Bull Pasture Loop at Organ Pipe
We loved walking around nearby Ajo, Arizona
We highly recommend visiting Ajo’s Artist Alley. Go with an open mind and heart.We loved Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and can’t wait to go back!From Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument along the US-Mexican border, it was time to make our way back north. Our next stop was a week at River Island State Park along the Colorado River where we enjoyed hiking, kayaking, and more gorgeous weather!Kayaking at Lake Havasu and Bill Williams Wildlife RefugeKayaking from River Island to Buckskin state parksHiking above the Colorado RiverLoved the clear, blue water of the Colorado RiverContinuing our travels north, we spent a week at Willow Beach in scenic Black Canyon of the Colorado RiverIndy enjoying the quail & bunnies at Willow BeachEnjoying some favorite spots at nearby Boulder CityDinner at our favorite Boulder City restaurantLiberty Bell ArchCrane’s NestEnjoying an old favorite and a new favorite hike in the Black Canyon of the Colorado RiverKayaking the Black Canyon National River TrailFrom Willow Beach we moved north into Nevada to Las Vegas Bay Campground on Lake Mead where we were joined by RVer friends D&L.Redstone Dunes TrailRailroad Pass TraliEnjoying a couple of new trails near Lake Mead and Boulder CityHiking stunning Rainbow Canyon in Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Indy soaking up the Nevada sun at Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Exploring the slot canyons of Lake Mead Recreation Area with friends D&LExploring Lake Mead’s Bowl of Fire with friends D&L
Dueling cameras through a sandstone window at Bowl of Fire
From Lake Mead we moved north to this gorgeous campsite at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. From here, we went in search of petroglyphs at nearby Basin and Range National Monument.
White River Narrows petroglyphs, Basin and Range National Monument
Mount Irish petroglyphs, Basin and Range National MonumentOne of my favorite Mount Irish findsJoshua TreeFun at PahranagatFrom Pahranagat we made our way home. We had good weather and roads, but we did see a little of the white stuff through portions of central Nevada.Here we are camping above frozen Illipah Reservoir near Ely.
The Adventure Continues
Be sure to join us on our next adventure as we visit some sites close to home. And don’t forget to check out our Amazon RV and Adventure Gear recommendations. We only post products that we use and that meet the Evans Outdoor Adventures seal of approval. By accessing Amazon through our links and making any purchase (even things as simple as toothpaste!), you get Amazon’s every day low pricing and they share a little with us. This helps us maintain this website and is much appreciated!
I LOVED it! So interesting! <3