Hybrid truck recharges from overhead wires in Germany - GIF

[schuylergrace]

Arizona is a great place for a visit, even an extended one. But after 26+ years of living here, I'm pretty much done with all its drawbacks, the incessant heat being the main one. About the only thing the state doesn't have is an ocean beach, but those are close by, too. You can ski sometimes up until June, and the mountains up north and down south are beautiful all year round (but in very different ways). The low and high deserts are amazing with beautiful landscapes everywhere and all sorts of wildlife. We have lakes, too, and everything from one of the largest cities in the country to actual ghost towns. I've spent much of my time exploring all the corners of this place, but I miss cooler, wetter climes. Here are shots of one of our magnificent dust storms (haboobs) overtaking Phoenix one afternoon and another I shot in infrared of Four Peaks with snow on top, just a few miles north of my home in Mesa (a Phoenix suburb).

[Floradawg]

What do you think is the best time of the year for a visit? I appreciate the info. When I went to NM with my wife at the time, now deceased, we went all over the state, and it was great. She had terminal cancer, and she had always wanted to go.

[schuylergrace]

What do you think is the best time of the year for a visit? I appreciate the info. When I went to NM with my wife at the time, now deceased, we went all over the state, and it was great. She had terminal cancer, and she had always wanted to go.

Any time from mid- to late October until the end of April is a wonderful time to visit and tour the state. Keep in mind that, as winter comes on, the norther part of the state is subject to snow and ice storms, which can limit travel, but the Grand Canyon and the high deserts of the north are beautiful in snow. South of the I-40 is usually fine for travel, even in the middle of winter. Further south and to the west, along the Colorado River, we're still in the 110F temps in late September and early October, which is why I don't recommend summer travel here. That said, the mountains up north, around the I-40, and down south near Tucson can be quite pleasant in the summer, but there are generally wildfire threats and actual wildfires you'd have to deal with. If I were to pick the nicest times, when the weather is pleasant in the warmer parts and there'll be some snow in the higher elevations, I'd go for November and March. Hope that helps.