Question about camping in some of California's National Parks

[JudyJB]

I am from Michigan. Basically, in the eastern states, when you go north it gets colder and when you go south it gets warmers.

One thing that took me quite a while to learn about a lot of places in the western states is that that is not necessarily true. You have to look at elevation and a lot of other things that affect temperature. For example, I am now in southern NM but my campground is at 4,800' in elevation. Yet it is about as far south as Tucson, AZ, which is at about 2.600' in elevation! So it is a lot cooler here than in Tucson!

I have been on the road for 12 years. Two of the coldest places I have ever camped at in my motorhome are Death Valley and Las Vegas in January. I have a photo of ice on Furnace Creek in Death Valley, and when I stayed at Boulder Beach near Las Vegas one year, ice fell off my slide toppers when I closed my slides!

And did you know they ski on a mountain just west of Las Vegas? Same thing for places near Santa Fe, NM, as far into spring as March!!! There are a lot warmer places in western Colorado that time of year.

Now, if I am going to a place I am not familiar with, I check this website: Climate California - Temperature, Rainfall and Averages

No one can guarantee the weather, but it pays to check in advance if you can.

 

[UTTransplant]

Yup, in the west it is all about elevation. Zion National Park and Bryce National Park aren’t that far about in latitude. But Zion can be hiked in a tshirt while Bryce is covered in snow at the same time.

 

[DonTom]

But Zion can be hiked in a tshirt

Not if that hike is up to the top of Horse Ranch Mountain.

Zion used to be my favorite place to backpack in--all in the high country.

-Don- Reno, NV