I’m interested in a warm-weather location for peakbagging this winter – a place where I can use a single hotel as my base and dayhike numerous local peaks in an approximately week-long winter peakbagging vacation. The Phoenix area looks like a good candidate. Any better ideas?

Las Vegas would be good. I would think that anywhere in southern Arizona would work too, including Phoenix and Tuscon. The Mojave desert would be good as well, though the best bases wouldn't be big cities.

Terlingua, Texas.

I'm only half joking.

Alpine or Marfa, Texas, might be better. Ha ha.

Yep, AZ has it covered. Peaks, hikes and technical routes if that's what you're after. Im in Sedona now and headed to Phoenix for 4 more days. Love it but bring a tweezers.

From Tucson, you have easy access to peaks of all sizes, Wrightson, Lemmon, Rincon, Wasson, and myriads of smaller summits. If you don't mind relocating a couple times, you can also stay in Gila Bend or Ajo, and get those peaks in Organ Pipe or along the Interstate-8/10 corridors. From Phoenix you have access to the Mazatzal Range, plus the surrounding big ranges and smaller hills in and around town, but Phx is a big city so you'd have to deal with traffic.

If you want more rugged, lesser-known peaks in the Mojave, you can stay in exciting places like Blythe, or Barstow. Much depends on what interests you. Even though you want "summer" conditions, you might get lucky and have access to the higher (9K ft) summits where snow may not be an impediment, although it will be cold.

Most of these peaks have decent road access, where little rentals are adequate. In one week, you can easily pick a spot and get a dozen peaks without trying too hard. There's nothing like standing on a desert peak in January, 80 degrees, shirt sleeves, and pondering the 8 feet of snow that just fell everywhere north and east of Kansas City.

my wife was just in Sedona and climbed thunder mountain and early morning spire. she said they were both great summits with some 4th class.

I chose the Phoenix area, and enjoyed my trip very much. It was exactly what I had in mind. I stayed there from the afternoon of 20 January to the morning of 28 January.

I climbed Mummy Mountain, Black Mountain, Lookout Mountain (x 3), Dixie Peak, Sunrise Peak, Peak 1987, East End (x 2), Peak 2229, Dinosaur Mountain, Silly Mountain, Peak 2122, Peak 1710 (x 2), Peak 1847 (x 2), Lookout Mountain West Summit (x 2), Peak 1955 and Peak 3949. These are small mountains (1,710 feet to 4,067 feet), but I just wanted to get some exercise, enjoy warm weather, and climb new peaks.

My favorite named peak was East End (4,067). My favorite unnamed peak was Peak 1987, I suppose, for its interesting rocks. The urban driving between trailheads did get tedious, but I’ll still consider returning next winter. There are many, many peaks that I didn’t get to.