Arizona Hwy 260 in the winter?

some great tips in here, especially about the casinos and the gift shop for overnights. I'll take a look at these roads on Google and I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.

thank you everyone :)

Thanks,jwmll and 2gypsies! I am lurking here for future travel ideas.

South Rim and Flagstaff can get significant snow. 30 miles south of Flagstaff on I-17 drops below the average snow level. Distant Drums RV Park in Camp Verde is nice and stays clear of snow except a rare inch or two.

Lake Mary Rd from Flagstaff to highway 87 to Payson is a very scenic drive. At the junction of Lake Mary rd and 87 is Clints Well campground, open all year. Its no host, dry camp.

15 SE from Show Low is the town of McNary. The Hon-Dah Casino there has an RV park open year round.

December can see heavy snow in most of these areas except Camp Verde. If you are not on a set travel schedule the highways usually clear of snow in 1-2 days. Travel only in daylight hours on sunny days and you shouldn't have trouble.

There is nothing between I40 and the North Pole but a 4 wire fence and two of those wires are broke. For any roads in northern AZ watch the weather channel on what is predicted but check conditions the morning you plan to drive since conditions can change in a matter of hours

Leaving the Grand Canyon take off on U.S. 180 at Valle. Take 180 to Flagstaff. Take Lake Mary road (county highway 3) as you leave Flagstaff on I-17. Lake mary Road takes you by lower and upper Lake Mary. Nice drive, excellent road,and scenic. You go by the Discovery Channel Telescope (not open to public) at Happy Jack and on to long Valley and junction of Az.Highway 87. Take 87 south 7 miles or so and it meets Az.260 coming from Camp Verde and becomes Az.87/260 and goes on to Strawberry, Pine, and Payson. In Payson 260 takes off East to Heber, Overgard, and Showlow. All excellent 2 lane road. Minimal to no traffic in December. May be a few hunters in the area, no crowds at all. During storms the county and state road crews are on top of it. This route will keep you off of the interstates except for a few hundred feet where you get on Lake Mary Road leaving Flagstaff.

GordonThree wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
If you don't mind the possibility of camping in the snow. Me - I would not go through there unless I was going to ski.

So stick to interstate 40? I was mainly looking at this highway to get off the interstate, to see more and travel without dealing with the threat of folks that want to go 80-90mph, as I drive 55-60 even on expressways.

Looks like South Rim to Payson is only 200 miles, wally dock there, take a drive through the petrified forest and then keep heading east (this is the return leg of a trip into utah and the grand canyon)

If you're planning on Petrified Forest Nat'l Park, you can stay free at the gift shop on 180 and Petrified Forest Rd. They also have a few electric sites for a small price. They're nice folks.

We're with you - get off the interstates, if possible.

Also, summer is the time when the 'valley' folks drive Hwy 260. You won't have much traffic at all when you're going.

Just check the weather forecast when you head out. You might have a nice clear span of time. Good luck!

I was mainly looking at this highway to get off the interstate, to see more and travel without dealing with the threat of folks that want to go 80-90mph

You won't find that on 260. It is full of Valley residents taking a short cut that want to drive 75 even though the highway is 2 lane.
Dave

As 2gypsies said, you'll just have to keep an eye on the weather. I-40 can have some of the worst weather anywhere; high winds, blizzards, you name it. Winter travel is iffy anywhere in the southwest. Two years ago this month there was a horrible ice storm that went eastward along I-10 from AZ into TX. We got caught in it, wouldn't want to go through that again. My main priority would be to avoid the mountain areas of AZ (260). A few years ago we drove to Show Low for New Years and snow covered the road and temps were well below freezing. Not a place I would want to be towing. Keep an eye on the weather forcasts and operate accordingly.

azdryheat wrote:
If you don't mind the possibility of camping in the snow. Me - I would not go through there unless I was going to ski.

So stick to interstate 40? I was mainly looking at this highway to get off the interstate, to see more and travel without dealing with the threat of folks that want to go 80-90mph, as I drive 55-60 even on expressways.

Looks like South Rim to Payson is only 200 miles, wally dock there, take a drive through the petrified forest and then keep heading east (this is the return leg of a trip into utah and the grand canyon)

If you don't mind the possibility of camping in the snow. Me - I would not go through there unless I was going to ski.