Lakes close to Phoenix
 

I have my 2 places I am thinking about relocating to :
Phoenix, AZ
Denver, Colorado

For boating, what lakes are close to Phoenix for a 38' boat?
What is the drive time to each?
In the winter, any places to go snow skiing that is close to Phoenix?

Any other thoughts between the 2 as far as overall climate or other stuff to do?

The closest lake to Phoenix of any size is Lake Roosevelt (1 hr from Phx), not much fun for a 38, and there is Lake Havasu (4 hrs from Phx) which is more like a river, not much of a challenge for a 38 either. I'm sure some Lake Havasu regulars will chime in here.

Closest skiing to Phx is in the Flagstaff area, not sure how good they are, but you can look up the mountains on the web and see what kind of trails there are. I looked them up last winter because I was considering doing some skiing there (I'm in Phx all the time for business) and they didn't look too bad, not like the mountains in Colorado though.

Climate in Phx is 70's during the winter months and 90's - 100+ in the summer months. It's not uncommon to see 108 - 110 in the summer. But it's a dry heat :p The sun is strong in the summer too, not sure how long you can last out there without some sort of shade on your boat. You see a lot of biminis out there.

I had the chance for a promotion and to relocate to Phx last year but turned it down because that type of boating would not work for me. Family/friends also factored in to my decision.

I don't know where you boat presently and how important the lifestyle is to you, but you'll be disappointed in AZ if you boat in any type of coastal/great lake waters now. That's only my opinion though, I'm sure the Lake Havasu regulars might take exception to that (yes, I've been to both lakes).

Indy,

Correction: Roosevelt is 3 hrs from Phoenix and has always been a piece of sh%t.

MichaelJames,

I lived in the midwest 16 years ago and the best move I ever made was the move west to Phoenix. We can boat 365 days a year. Our local lakes are small but alot of fun to hang out at. When we want to get away we drive to Lake Powell ( 4 hours from Phoenix 190 miles long, 1900 miles of shoreline and full of sandy beaches). Lake Havasu is good for the partys, resturants, and convienent hotels on the water. If you want a "challenge" like Indy said join APBA, POPRA, or SUPERBOAT. Here's picture of the boating at Powell

can you send me the picture to my e-mail address? [email protected]

How far is havasu?

Havasu is 3.5 hrs from Phoenix. If you move to the west side it would be about 3. It's an easy, flat drive. We usually stay 2 or 3 nights when we go there.

where do you go for snow skiing in the winter?

We never go to Flagstaff. We will usually drive to Sunrise Ski Resort near Pinetop in the White Mountains (5 hr drive) or Telluride in CO (8 hr drive).