Winter is considered during the months of December until February. These are the months that are colder in temperatures than the months that are considered “on season” when it is warm enough to not wear a jacket. One thing that many people tend to not realize is that the temperatures that can be expected in national parks are not necessarily the same as compared to their home towns, especially if they are not from the southwestern United States. For example, the current temperature in Albany New York is below zero at the beginning of 2018, and people who are from that area are used to January being bitter cold. When they think about the winter months at the Grand Canyon, they are probably comparing it to their home state, when nothing can be further from the truth. The current temperature in the Grand Canyon National Park at the beginning of 2018 is 65 degrees, and the low temperatures are around the 30s. While this is a little warmer than is usual due to the weather patterns in the US being quite extreme this year, it is still far from the freezing temperatures that one might assume. What is also interesting is that people from the east coast are sometimes very uncomfortable hiking in the Grand Canyon during the summer because temperatures can reach over 100 degrees. This means that the people from the eastern portion of the US are actually far more comfortable visiting the Grand Canyon during the winter than the summer.
Visiting southwestern national parks during the winter is a great idea, and not just from the standpoint of the weather being beautiful. The tourism rates for national parks drops dramatically in the winter as opposed to spring and summer. During the winter months, you can expect about 10% of the amount of traffic and tourism numbers at national parks than you would see during the high tourist season. This literally means that you will feel like you have the park to yourself, and if you are looking for the type of adventure tours that Bindlestiff Tours provides, you are probably going to appreciate the fact that the crowds are smaller. It seems like a small price to pay to have to wear a jacket if you get the same spectacular views without the crowds at the national parks.
Another benefit to winter tours of national parks is the off season savings that you get flying into cities like Las Vegas, where many people begin their tour. Las Vegas is a tourist location on its own, and follows the same types of patterns with regards to seasonality. During the winter and the off season months, your hotels, flights and other entertainment are going to be cheaper than at busier times of the year. This means that tours of national parks near Las Vegas are going to cost far less overall during the winter than during the summer. If you really want to see the national parks of the southwest and you are going to use Las Vegas as your starting point, now is the best time to book.