How cold are nights in UT and AZ in June?

[Brentbat]

Hi folks

I'm doing a 2 week expedition through UT and AZ in late June.  I want to pack my swag and sleep under the stars.  

My question is "How cold do the evenings get around Bryce, Escalante, Page etc?

Thanks in advance

Brent

[Hank]

It depends on the elevation, weather, your aclimatization, and comparison between nighttime and daytime temps.  The highest you list, Bryce, can be cold enough to make you wish for a jacket when you first wake.  When skies are clear I'm betting that it gets down into the low 40's, even high 30's at night.  Escalante is not so high, but you'll still relish a sleeping bag.  Page on the other hand only feels cold at night in contrast to the high daytime temps.  I've slept out in the vicinity with nothing more than a light blanket.  I don't enjoy heat, so in fact I turn into a night owl in such locations simply because the nights are in the 70-s and 80's rather than the 90's and 100's like the days.

We carry old cotton bat type sleeping bags in summer (30 degree rating as I recall), zipping them overnight in the high country, leaving them unzipped at elevations like Escalante, and simply using them for padding beneath us while covering with a light blanket or even a sheet in the hot regions.

Does this help?

[Brentbat]

Does this help?
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Thanks very much Hank,  yes this does help.  I look forward to sleeping under the stars in some of the most beautiful country in the USA.

Brent

[JeffKohn]

The NPS website has average temperature information for the various national parks on their websites (for instance, http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/weatheroutlook.htm). Bryce can be quite cool at night as Hank mentioned, as can the Grand Canyon particularly on the North Rim, although not quite as cool as Bryce.

We're planning a trip for late June as well, I decided we'll camp at Bryce and the North Rim, but at the lower elevations such as Paige, Monument Valley, etc we're going to stay in Motels because I just don't relish the thought of camping in the heat.

[skibum187]

I would bring a 15 degree synthetic or 30 degree rated down sleeping bag. Should be sufficient for the cool desert nights we have down here. Other highly reccomended sleeping gear would be a tarp and a cot (to keep you up off the ground and away from the spiders and scorpions).

[Brentbat]

Thanks for all the advice.  I now know what bag to take.

I won't need a cot as I have a swag with a nice foam mattress built in, and it will keep all the bugs, critters, nastys out.

I don't think you yanks have swags, but if you are camping out of the back of a car / 4WD they are the ultimate (IMHO), you just roll them out, snap up the hoops and the beds all made.  Perfect for pitching camp after sunset and striking camp in the dark before sunrise.

If anyone is interested in what I am talking about, you can check them out here.
Aussie Swags

[pathfinder]

You did not mention what type of tent you will be using. It might make a difference.

I had 4 inches of snow on my tent overnight at the North Rim of Grand Canyon the third week in June a few years ago.  Highs in the 70w, but high 30s to 40s at night.  

It will be significantly warmer down lower in the Escalante.  I was just there two weeks ago.

Ah yes, I see, Swags. That'll do just fine.

[JeffKohn]

I had 4 inches of snow on my tent overnight at the North Rim of Grand Canyon the third week in June a few years ago. Highs in the 70w, but high 30s to 40s at night.

Wow. That would be interesting, especially for a Houstonian such as myself who hasn't seen snow in years. I'm guessing that's pretty unusual though.

We'll be using our "car-camping" gear (4-person tent with full rainfly, 30-degree down sleeping bags, and thick self-inflating foam mattresses) so I think we'll be OK. Still, I'm glad my wife won't see this, or she'd never agree to camping on the North Rim. :smile: