The Top Choices Feature the "Colorado Coast," Ruins of a Hohokam Village, and a Great Wildlife Viewing Area.
The Best Winter Parks in Arizona are not "snow covered" but rather offer the soothing 60-70 degree weather that is very attractive when the winter chill takes over northern states. Catalina State Park, Lake Havasu State Park, and Alamo Lake State Park all offer that perfect outdoor weather that makes Arizona so popular in the winter months.
Catalina State Park
Located just north of Tucson and featuring stunning views of the Santa Catalina Mountains from every campsite. The Romero Ruin Interpretive Trail is a 3/4-mile trail that meanders through the ruins of a prehistoric Hohokam village site at the foothills of the mountains. The mile-long Nature Trail offers beautiful vistas of the Sonoran Desert with signs explaining the desert ecosystem and its inhabitants. Camping at Catalina is also good as it is a hub site with day trips to towns such as historic Tombstone and the border town of Nogales within an hours drive.
Lake Havasu State Park
Offers a scenic shoreline for campers with an average temperature during the winter months of about 70 degrees. Called the "Colorado Coast" in Arizona the park runs along the 45-miles of lakefront of Lake Havasu. The area is a rock hound's paradise with geodes, jaspers, obsidian, turquoise and agate found in the mountains to the east. The park features a campground, beach, boat launch ramps, grills, trails, a group-use area and interpretive garden. In February the park has the annual Havasu Classic Boat Enduro and a wild day of boating and entertainment at the Chili Cook-off.
Alamo Lake State Park
Park is the center for wildlife viewing in Arizona. Great blue herons, cattle egrets, brown pelicans, and even bald eagles call the lake home. Wild burros stroll through the park and below the dam. The 2,980-acre park is 3 hours west of Phoenix off a major highway and has excellent accommodations for RV camping. Alamo is also known as the best bass fishing lake in Arizona and this year crappie are also biting. Temperatures in the winter are ideal with the average temperature about 70 degrees.
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