It seems like just yesterday that my mom was talking about buying a second home in Payson, AZ. I can’t believe a year has already gone by! Payson is only about 1.5 hours north of the greater Phoenix valley, so it’s the perfect place to have a home to escape the heat and desert. Payson is extremely different from the desert – the mountains still exist but they are filled with greenery and pine trees instead of dirt and cactus. The temperatures run much cooler than Phoenix. During the winter the temps can drop as low as 20 degrees or so, but normally they stick around 30-40 degrees. They will get snow, but most likely a light dusting. It’s truly wonderful because you can enjoy the winter season without freezing to death and shoveling snow for hours.