River Island State Park
October 6-13, 2025
Parker, AZ
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| Sunrise at River Island SP |
River Island was a good fit for us this trip. It is right on the river, it has a big grassy doggie park for Lucy, the Rangers there are super nice and helpful, the sights are roomy, morning walks are delightful, and they stock the freezer at the Ranger Station with Haagen-Dazs on a stick.
RISP isn't a big park with only 8 beachfront sites for tents and small campers and 29 RV sites with 50-30-20 amp and water. Off site and just down the road the park offers access to off-highway vehicle back country roads.
The Wedge Hill Trail was a fun hike we did just about every morning. It is about 1/2 mile up the mountain with a switchback and steps to help. Once at the top, the trails are in all directions. Benches are scattered here and there with great views overlooking the Colorado River.
There were lots of holes dug looking for gold...
One day we went to Parker Dam.
Parker Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam that crosses the Colorado River 155 miles downstream from the Hoover Dam. It was built between 1934-1938.
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| Thanks to Parker Dam, we enjoy Lake Havasu. |
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| It is known for being "the deepest river dam in the world". Seventy-three percent of the dam's structural height of 320 feet is below the original river bed. Only 85 feet of the structural height is visible. It has five 50-ft-square gates to control the water flow. |
Once across the bridge, we took the Parker Dam Back Country Road...an 11 mile scenic drive along the California side of the Colorado River.
You might recall the name Bill Williams. He is the frontiersman I wrote about when we visited Williams, AZ. In addition to Williams, "The Gateway To The Grand Canyon", there are several more places and things named in his honor. One of them is the Bill Williams River which flows into the Colorado River/Lake Havasu. The confluence of the two rivers is in Parker. In 1993, 6,100 acres was designated as Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge.
Bill Williams River is a short river at only 43.6 miles. It originates in west central Arizona about 30 miles east of Kingman. This short, but beautiful river sure adds a lot to the desert and supports a wide variety of wildlife, vegetation, and recreational opportunities.
Designated as a Globally Important Bird Area for their outstanding value to bird conservation.
The Black Pearl was our choice for late lunch not once, but twice!
An awesome woodcarving...
The inside dining room is large with a wall of ceiling to floor windows to enjoy the view. The service was awesome, the food was delicious, and the views all make for a fun lunch.
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| First visit we enjoyed Fish and Ships...and that is not a mistake...with slaw, tarter sauce and a couple of icy cold brews. |
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| And the second time, a Shock Top...a new beer for me that is very much like a Blue Moon... with fried fish tacos. |
The Desert Bar, our destination for Saturday, is open on Saturdays and Sundays (from noon to 6:00 pm) between October and April. It is famous for its remote location in the Buckskin Mountains, rustic charm, and live music. The journey to Desert Bar is a destination in itself. Access to this unique old mining camp property is a 5 mile unpaved OHV road with rough dips and washboard sections. The bar built in the 1980s is entirely solar powered and cash only. There is a grill for sandwiches, burgers and fries, a saloon with really cold beer, a stage for live music, and relics from days gone by. The church at the entrance was built in 1990 with tin walls, a copper roof, and a steeple. It doesn't have a sanctuary for services, but has been used for weddings/pictures.
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| The bridge over the entrance... |
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The Deseret Bar is sometimes called the Nelly E Saloon because the land it sits on was originally a copper and gold mining claim named Nelly E. Todays owner bought the land in 1975 and built the bar which opened in 1983. |
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| We shared a yummy bar-b-que pulled pork topped with sautéed sweet peppers and onions hoagie with waffle sweet potato fries topped with cinnamon... |
Up next...Lake Havasu. But in real time, we are home, unpacked, laundry done and the fridge restocked. The weather is about as perfect as it gets here in Tucson. Cool mornings with fresh clean air and mild afternoons that are perfect for rockers on the patio.
Oh Lucy!
Back on the east coast, Felix and Edith picked lots of pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch. I love the red one with the white top!
I'll close with a few more photos...
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| Home |
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| The cacti garden walk at River Island SP... |
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| Prickly pear fruit... |
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| The doggie park at River Island SP... |
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| Sunrise at River Island... |
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| A visit to California and the Colorado River... |
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| Riding over the Bill Williams River Bridge... |
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| Riparian area under the Bill Williams River Bridge... |
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| Planter at the Black Pearl... |
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| Old trucks are awesome... |
Until next time,
HAPPY TRAILS!
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| AND SWEET DREAMS! |
Lucky Lucy! Tessa has had nothing but hard gravel at every stop this week. Your pics of BW River are so pretty, it's one of my fav spot along that strip. Of course you went to Black Pearl :-)) The Desert Bar is such a fun day although I don't like any of their beer choices. Shock Top would be a great addition! That pic of Lucy in the doorway is priceless.
ReplyDeleteHi Jodee and thank you! Poor Tessa…but I just know she handles herself like a true champion and is happy just being with you. Bill Williams River is beautiful! I sure hope to make a return trip maybe during the spring when the birds are migrating. I could just sit for hours and enjoy all the nature and quiet. I was surprised at the Desert Bar…the food is pricey, but we enjoyed our sandwich and even the band was pretty good. Lots of old songs… Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Eagles, etc and songs we like. Lucy had a good time too…it was her first outing where we actually sat down and ate a meal.
DeleteWe love the Parker area and the Bill Williams refuge. What a fun getaway for your guys! So many photos of Lucy--I love them all! We are in Wickenburg and the weather is very nice here too.
ReplyDeleteHi Janna! I had a feeling you might have made the trip south. Hope you are getting settled in and having fun. I loved the Parker/Lake Havasu area and can’t believe we had not visited sooner. I guess it isn’t hard to notice that Lucy is the center of everything.
DeleteGreat post as usual Gay. You show us the small things in life that really matter. If you have an animal in your world, it always revolves around them.....I wouldn't want it any other way! Dave and I enjoy that area, so close to home. We didn't eat at the Desert Bar but did enjoy it's "ambiance"!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Sue! And thank you! It is amazing to me how one puppy is so different from having four puppies. And you are so right, Lucy is the center of everything for us. We did have a great time and I am working on the Lake Havasu part of the trip now…tons of photos to sort thru! I sure hope to have more visits in that part of Arizona…maybe we could meet there!
DeleteSome familiar stomping grounds! We have walked, hiked, kayaked and had a beer at many of those places. The fish and chips looked delicious!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Jim! We loved it there and want to return. Water is such a wonderful thing to spend time around when you live in the desert and we sure hope to return sometime. The state parks around there are awesome. Kayaking is on my list of things to do!
DeleteGood morning Linda and thank you for stopping by. You are most welcome...it was a nice getaway. The Bill Williams River was my favorite part of Parker although the fish and chips were mighty good!
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