When to make trip to desert southwest?

darsben wrote:
When the wildflowers are in bloom if you are flexible
Try http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/wildupdates.html for more info

I have seen a "carpet of flowers" stretching from horizon to horizon when the desert is in bloom.

camperpaul wrote:

darsben wrote:
When the wildflowers are in bloom if you are flexible
Try http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/wildupdates.html for more info

I have seen a "carpet of flowers" stretching from horizon to horizon when the desert is in bloom.

MEEE TOOOOO

October. Not freezing yet. No spring pollen. Too early for most snow birds.

2x -Oct-Nov; & depending on your route, southern Utah that time of year is spectacular & few crowds.

I like September and early October the best in terms of temperatures and lack of rain to worry about flash floods. Check the seasonal temperatures, in particular the lows and you will see a sharp drop off in October going to sub freezing temperatures.

If you can take the heat I like these areas in May through August as there are fewer people and the area feels more pristine. In the spring it can be incredibly windy with rocks the size of small melons blowing down the highway - talk about a windchill.

The area around Saguaro get an amazing number and variety of birds wintering in the area is something else to consider.

Many areas will have aspens going golden in the fall and this makes for great photography. Spring brings wildflowers in a wet year and so this is not going to be a consideration going into 2015.

I've camped in the southwestern deserts for decades, and if i had to pick one month to go (between 2000 and 5000 ft.) it would be November. Usually dry. Cool but not frigid. For low altitudes, like Death Valley, it would be January. But you never know. You are just working with weather service averages. Once we did Death Valley in January in an El Nino year. It rained most of the 5 days we were there. Luckily, the jeep trails were sand and rock, not mud, so the rain soaked in quickly. On this last day of June that sound pretty good. If seeing wildflowers (and that's a crop shoot too) is your thing, the Desert USA website is a bible with up to date info just days old with lots of fine pics. The time frame would be between the 3rd week of Feb. to about last week of March, depending. And that's a big depending: if and how much precip. We only go during floral season if the outlook is good for flora.
jefe

A good rule of thumb is Halloween through Easter. Remember it starts getting dark very early so make sure to bring a good telescope ;)

Here is a great resource to get some "out of the way places"

Desert Magazine Archives

Nolan