Cruising Arizona in the winter

[DBBRanger]

Does anyone have any suggestions on good lakes to cruise in Arizona in the winter? We would be staying aboard with some marina stops but a lot of anchoring out. We are looking for secluded cruising with good scenery and good anchorages - crowds are not a positive feature! The temperatures need to be able to support that kind of cruising life - I don't expect swimming temperatures and not below, say, the forties at night.

Any suggestions?

Doug

 

[DBBRanger]

Really? Is no one cruising in Arizona in the winter?

 

[JamesTXSD]

We have cruised Arizona a bunch in the winter... in our RVs. I considered a reply when I first read your post, but thought someone else might have info I wasn't aware of. There isn't a lot of water in Arizona. There aren't many places where it doesn't get below 40º at night in the winter in Arizona. Our daughter and son-in-law live in the Phoenix area - we visit there frequently.

Lake Powell, on the Arizona/Utah border is a great place to cruise... but it is COLD there in the winter. Lake Pleasant, just north of Phoenix has a marina, and people do boat there in the winter. BUT, it isn't what I would call "scenic" (no offense to any Arizona folks who call that their home waters). There is the Colorado River - the weather is more moderate in the Yuma area and there are a couple marinas there... but... see my consideration of "scenic" above. 😉

Our home is in deep south Texas. It is a lot warmer there than in Arizona during the winter (and not as hot during the summer). To get to some decent cruising, though, you'd have to go north to the Corpus Christi area - there are place to go: Rockport, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi Bay.

There is a reason we have gone to Florida with the boat a few times during the winter: there are interesting places to cruise. The Florida Keys can be nice (although we did go through one darn cold winter there on the boat... "It isn't usually like this. Really." We heard that a lot.

Haul the boat further south and do the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. Just tossing out some other options.

People from the frozen northland seem tol think Arizona is hot year 'round. They get plenty of snow in Flagstaff and other places in northern Arizona. Nights in the desert can be cold (no humidity to hold in the heat). Check out a map of Arizona - not a lot of cruisable lakes there.

I don't think people were ignoring your post... just not aware of any places that match your criteria.

Good luck with the search.

Jim B.

 

[tugabee]

Saguaro Lake and Canyon Lake are the most scenic lakes in central Arizona. They are relatively small lakes, but have decent ramps, consistent water levels and small marinas. Last time we were at Canyon Lake we saw 2 bald eagles and mountain sheep on the surrounding cliffs. Lost Dutchman State Park is at the base of the Superstition Mountains and not too far from Canyon Lake so you can camp there in your boat to experience that side of things. A year or so ago, a C-Dory 22 couple cruised on Canyon Lake in the winter. They were from Canada so the cold nights seemed balmy to them! These lakes are in the Tonto National Forest and daily passes need to be obtained in advance. They are not available at the boat ramp. You can get them online. Apache and Roosevelt Lakes are also on the Salt River, but travel on a gravel, mountain grade road is required to get to Apache and the water level in Roosevelt is low due to the drought.

The Colorado River Lakes (Havasu and Mohave) are possibilities. They are in the lower desert so as warm as you'll find in Arizona. The Lake Havasu marina has slips, but limited facilities (no showers, limited electrical hookups). You need to be cautious as some of the ramps are relatively shallow and end with drop-offs. Last time we were there, there was an R-25 in the marina. I haven't been there in quite a while, but I remember Mohave to be more scenic, but with more limited facilities.

We do a lot of boating at Lake Pleasant as it is our nearest lakes. It has excellent ramps and 2 fairly large marinas with decent restaurants. It is a good sailing lake because it is fairly open as it is not in a canyon like other lakes. As Jim states, it is not particularly scenic except in the distant views of the mountains. It is a pumped storage reservoir. In the spring it is filled up with water from the Central Arizona Project. In the fall and winter, the water is put back into the canal for use in Phoenix and Tucson. So in the winter the level is low. It is currently 57% full. The marinas and ramps are built to accommodate the large annual shifts in water level.

Tony
C-View II - C-Dory 25
JOKEN2 - Montgomery 23

 

[DBBRanger]

Thanks for the replies. We'll get on with our planning!

Thanks again

Doug