Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge

Buckskin Mountain State Park

Parker, AZ

March 9, 2026

The mouth of the Bill Williams River where if flows into Lake Havasu can be seen as you drive over the bridge.

Bill Williams, or Old Bill as he was known,  was quite the frontiersman and I wrote about him when we visited Williams, AZ last year.  The river named after him is formed by the confluence of the Big Sandy and  Santa Maria rivers.  It travels some 45 miles before it flows into Lake Havasu joining the Colorado River.   The photo above was taken in October 2025 when we first visited the area and the NWR was closed.  The rest of the photos posted are from this trip. 

Bill Williams River was designated a NWR in 1993.  It is 6,100 acres that span the transition zone from the Mohave and Sonoran deserts.  Where the two rivers meet is, in my opinion, the prettiest section of the Parker Strip. 

The confluence of Bill Williams and the Colorado rivers...taken as we crossed the bridge

 

The VC was closed with signage that said due to lack of personnel, it was closed. We took a map and headed on our way.

From the VC, the Peninsula Trail is a short 1 mile (round trip) walk that takes you from the VC to the end of the peninsula...duh!  The first part of the trail which  is paved and wheelchair accessible passes three fishing piers.  it then becomes a well maintained gravel trail with just enough ups and downs and bends in the path for interest.  It is a lovely walk with nice views of the Colorado River and the mountains that surround it on both sides. 

After our walk, we decided to take the auto tour with views of the flood plane. Access to this area is on Planet Ranch Road on the other side of Hwy 95 up closer to the bridge.  The Planet Ranch Fire burned about 1,200 acres in June of 2021 and restoration is ongoing.  

There are a couple of scenic stops along the way with a short trail to walk.

Arizona Lupine

The refuge protects one of the last naturally-generated cottonwood-willow forest in Arizona.

Buckskin Mountain State Park was our choice for this trip.  The park has a campground, a beach, hiking trails, a huge grassy fenced in doggie park and a boat ramp.  Mountains line the river on both the California and Arizona sides of the Colorado River.

 

Just down the highway is the Pirates Den Resort which includes the Black Pearl restaurant.  We took Lucy with plans to sit on the patio.  The winds picked up so we were offered a table in the bar with other puppies.  Black Pearl serves yummy fish and chips and batter fried fish tacos and a very refreshing Shock Top on draft. 

I'll close with a few extra photos...

California Fagonbush along the Peninsula trail

The shoreline at the non-motorized boat ramp at the NWR 

The peninsula from the shore

A view of Bill Williams River from the auto tour

The flood zone from the auto tour

The picnic area at the park

Tomorrow is travel day.  We have a week planned in Wickenburg so stay tuned!

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS!   

and SWEET DREAMS!

Wrapping up Yuma

Cocopah RV & Golf Resort

Yuma, AZ

March 6, 2026

No trip to Yuma for us is complete without a patio brunch at the Garden Cafe.  

The vegetable quiche is my favorite and the homemade fruit bread is so yummy.  The fruit in the bread changes day to day and we were happy we were served warm (just out of the oven) strawberry walnut bread.  

The cafe is down a short narrow alley with small businesses on either side.  Lots of color, trees and plants and pots and benches. 

 

Vintage Studio Art Treasures...a fun place to browse.

Another day, the four of us visited Martha's Garden.

The Gardens were founded in 1990 by Nels and Martha when they planted 300 Medjool date palms. Today there are over 8,000 palms in over 130 acres of desert.  It is still a family run and operated business which is proud to mention that they grow, pack, and sell their own product. It is an organic farm...no pesticides or chemicals are used from transplant to harvest.  

The date farm is open everyday except Sunday from 10:00 to 5:00 in the winter (summer hours differ).  They advertise one farm tour a day which begins each morning at 10:30, but we couldn't go because pups are not allowed and we had Lucy.  There is a nice patio setting and a gift store on site.  In addition to date shakes, they offer a variety of packaged dates. Dark chocolate covered, white chocolate covered dates and dates rolled in walnuts, pecans and coconuts.  Dates are a new food item for me. And I came home with three containers of plain Medjool dates (which can be kept in the freezer for up to four months) and a small container of the walnut dates which I didn't think were as good as just the plain ones.  

Bags help protect developing dates from pests (birds, insects, and bats), and from harsh weather (rain, wind and sun).

Back at Belle, I was excited the African Violet I have nurtured for a while finally has a bloom.  It was on the "almost gone" counter at Civano at the end of last summer.  

Carol's tulips bloomed.

Lucy plays ball.

Joe makes repairs.

We take daily walks...a morning walk and an evening walk in-between the heat of the day works good for us.

Sunrise

Long-billed Curlew...one of my all time favorite birds.

Screwbean Mesquite Tree

Golden Tickseed

Northern Mockingbird

Sunrise

The castor oil plant (except it looked like a tree).

Sunset

Yesterday was travel day so stay tuned.

Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS!

and SWEET DREAMS!