It’s February in Colorado, often touted as the snowiest month of the year. We are in the dead of winter, and all Coloradoans know that it’s very likely that we could still be in for a few more months of inclement, frigid weather. As such, many of us may want to find ways to escape the cold and head somewhere south. As one of Colorado’s premium shops, Accurate Auto Body, an Aurora Body Shop, knows that sometimes you just have to take a three day weekend to somewhere warmer. But as the most isolated city in the United States, getting to a nice warm city from Denver can be difficult by car. Fortunately, there is one warm-weather city that is just close enough to drive to; and the sites are amazing on the way.
Phoenix, Arizona, often nicknamed the Valley of the Sun, has earned its nickname for being one of the warmest cities in America. Experiencing a subtropical desert climate, Phoenix averages a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit in February, and it only goes dramatically up from there. The daily mean increases by almost ten degrees every month from March to June. When its mid-April and it can sometimes still be below freezing with blustery snow, a trip to a city where temperatures are reaching the 70’s can be a nice thing. Not to mention, Phoenix experiences a very dry climate, which means the heat feels like how it is. You never have to deal with obscene humidity in Phoenix – just plenty of sunshine, Mexican food, and golf.
There are many ways to get to Phoenix from Denver. The fastest, most direct route is to take I-70 west to Highway 191, then head west on Highway 160, finally heading south on Arizona state highway 89 until you reach Flagstaff. Once you reach Flagstaff, merge on to I-17 south, which will take you all the way to Phoenix. The entire trek takes about twelve and a half hours to complete. Alternatively, if a snowstorm has made crossing the Colorado Rockies laborious, there is a more southern route that takes you into New Mexico. Ride I-25 south all the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and merge with I-40 west. Take I-40 until you reach Holbrook, where you will exit on to Arizona Highway 77 southbound. You will then merge on to Arizona Highway 377 shortly afterward. As you begin to enter the Sitgreaves National Forest, you will merge with Arizona Highway 277 until you reach Heber-Overgaard, in which you will merge with Arizona Highway 260. 260 will take you all the way to Payson, where you will merge onto Arizona Highway 87, which will take you the rest of the way to Phoenix. While the route seems more convoluted, it is significantly more scenic and gets you to Phoenix in about the same time.
How To Use This Information
When you think about road trips in the winter from Denver, typically they take you to the mountains for a ski trip. But you don’t always have to go to a colder environment. If you just need to get some sun and wear some flip-flops for a few days, then consider this winter getaway to Phoenix. Just make sure that your car is looking its best for the trip. Get dents, scrapes and pings out at Accurate Auto Body before you go. Contact this Aurora body shop today.
Have you ever been to Phoenix in the winter?
