HikeArizona.COM

Hi everyone,

Is anyone familiar with how much of a temperature difference there is between the trailhead area and Phoenix? I am car camping near there and am hoping to plan out what to expect temp wise for the night. I saw that there is a forecast feature on the website's map, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.

Thanks for the help

drosenbush wrote:Is anyone familiar with how much of a temperature difference there is between the trailhead area and Phoenix?

In my experience this time of year the highs & lows are roughly 10-15 degrees cooler at Lone Pine. (And an additional 5-10 degrees cooler at the summit of Browns Peak.)

drosenbush wrote:I saw that there is a forecast feature on the website's map, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.

Again in my experience, it has been reasonably accurate... of course, you'll want to keep in mind weather forecasts are high-percentage probabilities and NOT predictions.

So putting the meteorology segment of my geography classes to good use, I was taught that temperatures drop or rise roughly 3.5 degrees per 1000 feet of elevation.

SpiderLegs wrote:temperatures drop or rise roughly 3.5 degrees per 1000 feet of elevation.

... in a vertical column of air that doesn't have any interaction with land or other external factors! Not a bad baseline to start with, but never quite that easy!

The pinpoint forecast on the website is provided by the National Weather Service and is generally quite accurate. Pay attention to the elevation the forecast is for, displayed below the forecast text versus the exact elevation where you will be camping. I would plan on a 5-8 degree swing from that forecast just to be prepared. If you camp in a valley (such as next to a creek) it may be 10 degrees cooler than camping on a ridge even though the ridge is hundreds of feet higher up. Cold air settles into valleys at night.