By Randall Brink
Sometimes, a 1,200- to 1,500-mile winter journey to a warmer place is more than you want to do. People in the country’s northern tier have a long way to go to get to Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, or California. But there are alternatives for placid climes nearer your northern home. Out West, there are mini “banana belts” scattered throughout the mid-northern climate regions that, though little known, can substitute for a long trek to Palm Springs, Death Valley, Phoenix, or Yuma.
“Banana belt” in Oregon
For example, Oregon, which can be pretty cold in its interior in the wintertime, has an oasis of warmer winter weather at Brookings. The daily low temperature in December and January, the coldest months of the year, remains above freezing, while daytime temperatures are in the high 40s. Even farther north, Washington state has pacific weather on its inner Olympic Peninsula. The town of Sequim, just south of the shoreline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, has December–January temperatures averaging in the high forties and remaining above freezing at night.
Temperate zones in Idaho
Idaho, generally known for frigid winter weather and dotted with alpine ski resorts, has temperate zones at Lewiston, White Bird, and Hell’s Canyon—places less than 200 miles from the coldest part of the state. Surrounded by much higher terrain, these locations are at low elevations of 1,500 feet above sea level or less—a perfect recipe for a fair climate. Campgrounds are always wide-open throughout the winter in these locations, including commercial properties and U.S. Forest Service and Army Corps of Engineers sites.
Moderate climate in Colorado
Suppose you live east of the Continental Divide in Montana or Wyoming, and would rather not winter in Cut Bank, Havre, or Cody, where the winter temperatures routinely dip to double digits below zero in high winds. In that case, a banana belt is not far away in Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley. There is a moderate climate belt encompassing Buena Vista, Canon City, and Pueblo in the Rocky Mountains south of the Sawatch Range (elev. 14,000+).
For those in the Midwest and Eastern regions
It is more challenging to find balmy winter weather in the Midwest due to the flat terrain and the upper Midwest/Great Lakes’ ferocious weather patterns. But there is Kentucky and Tennessee not far away, where locations such as Bowling Green and Chattanooga have temperate weather throughout most winters. Easterners have abundant warmer-weather options throughout the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. Don’t forget parts of the great state of Texas too.
You do not have to travel the breadth of the country to find pleasant winter RVing if you don’t want to. There’s usually a great—if little-known—option much closer to home.
##RVT1081
Some good information…but as a resident of Colorado, the locales mentioned here as “moderate” climates for winter RV’ng are a stretch at best. Winter conditions across the Front Range are typically sunny and pleasant…but can change dramatically, especially above 6500′.
Laugh out loud – Our home is in the northern part of “Great Lakes’ ferocious weather patterns” [fantastic summers!]. By the time I get to southern KY or TN, I’m more than half-way down to southern TX. Might as well finish the journey.
Ssshhhhh, … we live in Chattanooga and it’s getting more crowded almost daily. 😉 However, you are right, we do tend to have snow-less winters with overnight lows often in the upper 20’s or higher. The daily highs tend to be upper 30’/low 40’s and higher. Rare is the day we cannot work outside because it is too cold. 🙂
Now you did it, next winter you’ll be overrun by Yankees, then you’ll have to go to FL. Lol
Buena Vista, Colorado – Nice place to camp in the winter? I don’t think so. Buena Vista is at 7965 ft. elevation. Per Wikipedia average low temperatures are 10.8 F in December, 10.4 F in January, 13.3 F in February. Record low for Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, and March are in the -20’s and -30’s F. I don’t believe many people want to spend nights in their RV where there are chances the temperature drops that far below 0 F.
Haven’t spent a winter in seven years in Sequim, WA yet. Yes it does stay below freezing for a few days in December and January. Anything close to freezing bothers me. And there was the year of 24″ of snow, although rare, it does snow each year. A day or two. Gloomy gray skies. Long nights. A friend told us this.
Bowling Green, KY is ice-storm prone! It is miserable in the winter. When it snow, and it does, it almost always begins with ice juuuust glazing all the streets and sidewalks.
After Wisconsin, we find Northern Mississippi to be positively balmy, relatively nearby, and very pleasant. We pull out early tomorrow morning, and are very excited to be getting away from the snow. One highlight of our trip down is always the sighting of the first daffodil. We like to say that we’re not looking for summer, we’re just looking for spring.
We’ve been hosting at a COE park in LA(lower Alabama) this winter. We’ve had a few below freezing nights but they are not the rule. Lots of days in the upper 50’s & low 60’s in between. Today it’s above 80° with a nice breeze and no clouds.