good-times-rollin: Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge

Monday, March 9, 2026

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.