4 Arizona Towns That Are Better in Winter Than Any Other Season
More than 30,000 cranes spend the winter around Willcox.
Some Arizona towns feel like a chore in the summer heat but turn into the best stop on the map once they cool off.
Here are the Arizona towns that are better in the winter than any other season.
1. Quartzsite
Quartzsite has roughly 2,400 residents, and winter brings many more people than that.
Quartzsite’s gem and mineral shows and swap meets draw about 1.5 million visitors a year, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority.
Thousands of vendors gather during the cooler months to sell rocks, gems, minerals, jewelry and apparel.
Winter visitors fill the area’s trailer and mobile home parks between October and March.
July is another story.
Quartzsite’s July high averages 108.7 degrees.
January’s average high is 66.6 degrees.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lets campers stay at its La Posa Long-Term Visitor Area from September 15 to April 15.
The PowWow Gem and Mineral Show happens every January, so plan a January trip.
La Posa covers about 11,400 acres of desert, with vault toilets, water faucets and trash service.
Outside the season, day use costs $10 per vehicle and overnight use $15.
After April 15 the rules tighten. From April 16 to September 14, the maximum stay is 14 days in a 28-day period.
What a Quartzsite Winter Permit Costs
A winter stay at La Posa, about two miles south of Quartzsite, takes a BLM permit.
A long-term permit costs $180.
A short-visit permit costs $40 and covers any 14 consecutive days within the season, and it can be renewed an unlimited number of times.
2. Wickenburg
Wickenburg schedules Gold Rush Days for winter, and the 78th annual festival runs February 11-14, 2027.
The opening ceremony is Friday, February 12, at 10 a.m. on Frontier Street.
An Artisans’ Fair that weekend puts more than one hundred artists around Stone Park and the Wickenburg Public Library.
The parade starts Saturday, February 13, at 10 a.m.
Rodeo performances follow at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Everett Bowman Rodeo Arena.
A carnival opens Thursday, February 11, at 4 p.m., and a classic car show on Friday morning is limited to the first 75 cars.
A slack rodeo for overflow contestants runs Friday at 11 a.m. with free admission.
Rodeo tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students ages 6 to 17, and children 5 and under are free.
On Sunday at 1 p.m., gold panners compete in a championship round.
You can see all three in one weekend.
July has none of it.
Wickenburg’s July highs average 104.1 degrees, while January’s average 65.4.
The 600-seat Webb Center for the Performing Arts brings in national entertainment from November through April.
The Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival, set for November 13-15, 2026, sells three-day passes and single-day tickets.
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3. Clarkdale
Clarkdale's winter draw is the bald eagle.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department lists the Verde Canyon Train in Clarkdale among its places to see bald eagles in December and January.
Riders on the Verde Canyon Railroad can also see birds of prey along the Verde River, especially during the winter months.
Bring binoculars.
The railroad's canyon route runs between the Coconino and Prescott National Forests, past Sinagua ruins on the cliff faces above the tracks.
Otters and javelina live there too, and elk turn up occasionally, though many animals are active at dawn and dusk.
In December, you can ride the railroad's Magical Christmas Journey.
At Tuzigoot National Monument, in the Clarkdale area, the July high averages 101.1 degrees and the January high 60.9.
4. Willcox
Over 30,000 cranes winter around Willcox.
Wings Over Willcox, the town's birding and nature festival, is set for January 14-17, 2027, marking its 34th annual festival.
The festival offers field trips, seminars and a Nature Expo.
Each winter, sandhill cranes take flight from Cochise Lake.
Book January 14-17 and you'll catch the festival.
The town also hosts its Western Christmas Festival in December.
Willcox sits at 4,182 feet, and its winter nights are the coldest of the four towns.
November Afternoons
November afternoons in these towns average in the 70s.
Quartzsite's November high averages 75.7 degrees, Wickenburg's 73.5, and both Tuzigoot's and Willcox's 70.5.
January highs run from 60.9 degrees at Tuzigoot to 66.6 in Quartzsite.
Spring and Fall Highs
The 1991-2020 climate averages for all four towns show that spring and fall are no substitute for winter.
May highs average 95.3 degrees in Quartzsite and 90.9 in Wickenburg.
They reach 87.9 at Tuzigoot and 87.2 in Willcox.
September is hotter still: Quartzsite averages 101.8 degrees, Willcox 90.4.
Even October highs reach 89.5 degrees in Quartzsite, while Willcox tops out at 81.7.
April is the mildest of those four months, with highs from 86.6 degrees in Quartzsite down to 78.7 in Willcox.
From November through February, average highs in all four towns stay between 59.8 and 75.7 degrees.
From December through February, no town's average high reaches 72 degrees.
What Other Seasons Offer
Winter isn't the only season with events in these towns.
Clarkdale's Verde Valley Wine Festival returns each spring.
Willcox holds Rex Allen Days in October, with a parade, country fair and rodeo.
July vs. January Lows
Winter nights are cold enough that you'll want a jacket.
Quartzsite's July lows average 82.3 degrees, against 40.2 in January.
In Wickenburg, July lows of 72.6 degrees turn into January lows of 34.0.
December is colder there, with an average low of 32.9, within a degree of freezing.
Pack layers.
If you're headed to Willcox, pack a coat: December lows average 28.2 degrees, and January lows 28.4.
At Tuzigoot National Monument, in the Clarkdale area, December lows average 29.4 degrees.
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