Canadian who wants to park someplace warm

[accountingsucks]

As the title says would like to spend a month somewhere warm in the states. My wife and I like to hike and kayak and I love to play tennis so an active tennis 'meetup' or clubs that accept a short term guest would be awesome. Access to awesome day trips would be a big bonus too. Tempe looks promising based on my research as there is a river through there and perhaps slower paced than Phoenix? Carlsbad also looks like exploring given between LA and San Diego. Vegas weather would be OK for us so that's one option too. Florida?

 

[Brat]

My mother told me that lots of CN residents stay in HI during the winter months.

 

[NW-Bound]

Tempe looks promising based on my research as there is a river through there and perhaps slower paced than Phoenix?

Phoenix is a huge metropolitan area, and the characteristics of each neighborhood vary greatly. It's like going to LA or Montreal. Where would you want to stay? Most areas are residential, and not too interesting.

Tempe is not a small town, but the area you will be interested in is the Tempe downtown area close to Arizona State University. It's a nice area. The large body of water there is called Tempe Town Lake. It is formed by dams across the bed of the Salt River, which is usually not running. There are boating and kayaking activities on the lake.

An adjacent city popular with winter visitors is Scottsdale. Its downtown is busier, larger, and more lively than that of Tempe, with a lot more shops and restaurants. An Airbnb in either cities near the downtown area would make a good stay.

From either Tempe or Scottsdale, you can make day trips to Sedona, Prescott, or Tucson. Or you can break your month and stay a few days at each place.

My mother told me that lots of CN residents stay in HI during the winter months.

We went to Maui one winter. We talked with a Canadian who bought 2 weeks at the timeshare that we stayed at. She rented another 2 weeks at another timeshare resort, in order to stay for 1 month. Said that was what her retirement money was for.

 

[DrRoy]

For me the scenery in the SW US is far more appealing that Florida.

 

[TheHobbit]

Check out the Florida keys, or St. Petes area around Tampa. Cheaper than Hawaii w/ similar "ish" weather, drivable day trips to mainland, other than these... I'd say Hawaii or San Diego (specifically Coronado Island).

 

[PatSea]

Check out the Punta Gorda Charlotte Harbor Florida area. Lots of opportunities for kayaking, hiking, fishing, boating and outdoor nature activities.

 

[cathy63]

My Aunt and Uncle were snowbirds who used to stay at an RV park in Apache Junction AZ. They always liked the area because it was outside of Phoenix, but near enough to get to the city easily. We visited a few times and thought it was nice.

If you want warmth in California in the winter, I'd recommend Palm Springs or it's neighboring cities. The beach communities like Carlsbad and Coronado are a lot colder than the deserts in the winter. I think the high yesterday was about 66F at the beach, though Google tells me it'll get up to about 74 later today when the Santa Ana winds kick in. It's only 45F right now at 7:30 AM.

Vegas can also be cold in the winter. I've been there in January and February when the wind was just howling and it was miserable. The Arizona deserts always seem a lot warmer than Las Vegas to me.

 

[Nemo2]

Certainly not a 'major centre', and haven't been there for a couple decades, but when RVing used to like Buckskin Mountain State Park in Parker, Arizona:

https://azstateparks.com/buckskin/

 

[NW-Bound]

Certainly not a 'major centre', and haven't been there for a couple decades, but when RVing used to like Buckskin Mountain State Park in Parker, Arizona:

https://azstateparks.com/buckskin/

The above was where I made my first ever trip with my newly purchased motorhome, in order to learn the rope of RV'ing. It is not easy to visit this place without an RV or doing tent camping.

 

[Nemo2]

The above was where I made my first ever trip with my newly purchased motorhome, in order to learn the rope of RV'ing. It is not easy to visit this place without an RV or doing tent camping.

My late wife & I were there several times, with a Class 'B', and later a 5th wheel - usually 'shorter' term visits, but once grabbed a monthly rate in one of the 'less desirable/harder to sell' spots.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

We are in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico on Lake Chapala at this moment (Jan 2020) and there are plenty of really chuffed Canadians here. The folks in a neighboring suite are here for 6 months at a time and this is their 4th year.

You can also kayak on the lake.

Easy to get to. Fly to Guadalajara and literally take a taxi to the lake. You should have a reservation before you come, though. Lots of snowbirds here.

 

[Lakewood90712]

My Aunt and Uncle were snowbirds who used to stay at an RV park in Apache Junction AZ. They always liked the area because it was outside of Phoenix, but near enough to get to the city easily. We visited a few times and thought it was nice.

Ditto. Last time I visited my uncle in Mesa Az, one of the RV parks flys the Canadian flag along with the American flag. Some of the snowbirds had very large, older RV's used in the park for the winter , then storred locally for the summer.

 

[CowgirlUp]

I’m currently in Apache Junction, AZ. Depending on what you like, Tempe is much busier than Apache Junction. There are a lot of Canadians here and in Mesa. Saguaro Lake is where a lot of people go kayaking, as well as the salt river when the water is high enough. There are a few other lakes as well. I agree Scottsdale is very nice; as well as Fountain Hills. Just an FYI....Tempe is more in the middle of the city and is a college town. Lots of hiking everywhere around the Phoenix area! 70 degrees here today and beautiful . There are, of course, some cooler days and the evenings and mornings can be cool.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, we all know Mesa has a lot of snowbirds. Indeed, the long-term winter visitors stay there due to the lower cost.

However, the OP is looking for a 1-month stay, and he may want to do a bit of travel and sightseeing. The needs and logistics for that are more oriented to those of a tourist than a part-time resident who returns each year.

 

[Koogie]

It's +2°C here in Toronto today on January 06 !

How much warmer does a Canajun need it to be....

 

[Asher Aion]

Lol.

 

[Music Lover]

Following. We're on a mini tour of the US right now...Myrtle Beach, Edisto, Panama City Beach, etc. to see what we like. We've been staying in hotels but we now know that going forward that we want a warm and quiet place where we can live more like a local than a tourist.

 

[Koolau]

We've run into a number of snowbirds from Canada. They like the more-or-less "guaranteed" weather. Yes, it could be a bit rainy and it IS cooler in winter than summer. BUT unlike SoCal or FL, you won't have days or even a week with temps in the 50s or even lower. A cold day here is in the low 70s. Being a midwesterner originally, that's still shirt sleeves weather in the winter (Locals run around in parkas when it's low 70s). Typical daytime weather is low 80s. I've seen nights in the upper 50s, but I just throw a blanket over the sheet and feel cozy.

I love San Diego, but I would NEVER go in the water there. It's just too cold. I think winter ocean temps get down to 77 or 78 (F) here in Paradise - which is too cold for me. BUT that's warm compared to anyplace I've been on the west coast (even in the summer - but I'm not an expert.)

I think the Keys are a matter of personal taste. DW and I drove all the way to Key West and were non-plussed. The Keys are kind of historic and worth a day or two, but I wouldn't want to winter there - again, strictly personal preference. Only place I like in FL is St. Augustine and I'm guessing that's not always warm (enough.)

For one month, any of the HI Islands can keep you busy sight seeing (with ocean kayaking, hiking, mountain trails, historic stuff, commercial stuff - Aquarius submarine, whale watching, booze cruise, golf, etc. come to mind) I still vote for Oahu because it's "spoiled." Everything is here. It has most of the natural beauty of the other islands AND Walmart as well. What could be better?

As always, YMMV.

 

[Ginny]

CA is too crowded. The Scottsdale/Phoenix area has great hiking in the desert but there are lots of freeways and it is crowded too. We do not really know what you like and what you want. Where do you live in Canada? East or West coast? That makes a big difference if you are driving an rv. What month? North Carolina Blue Ridge mountains? Summer in up state NY is awesome.

 

[Hyper]

I’m currently in Apache Junction, AZ. Depending on what you like, Tempe is much busier than Apache Junction. There are a lot of Canadians here and in Mesa. Saguaro Lake is where a lot of people go kayaking, as well as the salt river when the water is high enough. There are a few other lakes as well. I agree Scottsdale is very nice; as well as Fountain Hills. Just an FYI....Tempe is more in the middle of the city and is a college town. Lots of hiking everywhere around the Phoenix area! 70 degrees here today and beautiful . There are, of course, some cooler days and the evenings and mornings can be cool.

Are you in AJ with stock? We've thought very serious about riding in AJ for the last cpl yrs but don't want 4-5 mth and have read, heard that's the only way to get in plus with 1-2 yr wait.

 

[Scuba]

Canadians seem to love Palm Springs.