Along The Colorado River
Buckskin Mountain State Park is nestled along the Colorado River in southwestern Arizona just north of Parker, making it the perfect place for fishing, kayaking, boating, and cooling off in the water when it gets warm out! The campground sits on a stubby river peninsula between cliffs and mountains of the Buckskin Mountains. Along with water activities, Buckskin Mountain State Park also has an incredible trail system with a trail that even connects to River Island State Park which is just north up the river and road. Since we visited in the spring it was perfect hiking weather. The Buckskin Mountains are the product of volcanic activity millions of years ago and today they have left behind a beautiful desert landscape with multiple colors and hues backed up by a skyline of distant mountain ranges.
Phoenix to Buckskin Mountain State Park
We left from Phoenix after work on a Friday and drove the almost 3 hours to Buckskin Mountain State Park. Conveniently, this state park is only 10-15 minutes from the city of Parker where there is gas, a grocery store, restaurants, etc. It’s also only about 30 minutes from Lake Havasu City.
Camping
We camped at one of the reservable campsites and it had a picnic table, fire ring, electric, and water hookup. Our spot had had minimal shade but some have more than others. The reservable campsites were dominated with RVs since they have electric and water. Additionally, there are first-come, first-serve campsites along the beach that have a stunning view of the cliffs and Colorado River. During our trip, there were a few first-come, first-serve sites available, but we didn’t notice the next morning until after we already set up camp. These campsites do have a shade awning and fire rings. Buckskin Mountain State Park has flush toilet restrooms, showers, and dish washing stations.
Hiking
We love how close the trail system is to the camping at Buckskin Mountain State Park! From our campsite hiked to a river viewpoint via River View Trail and completed a loop back on Buckskin Loop Trail. The trails are well maintained with great signage. Overall, we recorded about 3.25 miles from our campsite and back. In addition to the trails we hiked, there are several other trails to do and even a trail that goes to River Island State Park. We hope to do that one next time!
Things To Do Near By
River Island State Park
After we hiked at Buckskin Mountain State Park we made breakfast and got ready for the day. Our first stop was River Island State park just a few minutes away. We did a short hike up to a view point where we had a good view of the island and Colorado River. Like Buckskin, there is also camping at this River Island State Park and it’s a popular park for water recreation! For more information check out River Island State Park’s website.
Back Way To Desert Bar
After checking out River Island, we had Nellie A Saloon, AKA Desert Bar on our list. The bar is literally in the middle of the desert at an old mine and is only open seasonally from 12pm – 6pm.
To be honest, we didn’t plan in extensive detail which directions we wanted to travel to the bar first, but it all worked out well. We entered from the south off Cienega Springs Rd. It’s about 5 miles to the bar and this road is a more tame dirt road. It’s still washboarded in sections and typical to desert dirt roads, but it’s more manageable with no obstacles. After spending time at the bar, eating food, and listening to music we decided to head back to camp. It had been consistently drizzling all afternoon and continued on our way back.
Our route back to Highway 95 was “The Back Way” and much more challenging. The north section of Cienega Springs Rd between Desert Bar and Highway 95 requires 4-Wheel Drive and high clearance along with confidence in your driving ability and understanding of how to navigate obstacles. It’s about another 5 miles to Highway 95 and took us about an hour to navigate the single lane dirt road.
The 4×4 off-road trail ends at River Island Market which conveniently had free air and we were able to air our tires back up much faster and not have to get out our portable air compressor. There might be a line during busier days and seasons. It wasn’t super clear getting back to Cienega Springs Road from Desert Bar but after some back tracking we found our way. We used OnX Offroad to track the road and progress, however once on trail, it wasn’t very difficult to follow.
Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge
The US Fish & Wildlife Service has nine national refuges in Arizona and five of them run along the Highway 95 and the Colorado River. Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge is 8-10 minutes north of Buckskin Mountain State Park and provides sanctuary to many migratory and annual resident birds as well as fish and other marine life. However, one of the lesser known yet major protections of Bill Williams NWR is it’s protection of one of the last stands of naturally regenerated cottonwood-willow forest along the Lower Colorado River and is one of the last ecologically functioning river habitats in the southwest United States. The refuge offers a glimpse into what this landscape looked like hundreds of years ago. – Bill Williams NWR
In the refuge we walked/hiked the Peninsula Trail. It’s about 1.2 miles out and back. Part of the the trail is paved with many ramada spots for fishing and river observation. At the end of the paved trail is a vault toilet and then the trail is dirt with some very slight incline and declines. After the Peninsula Trail we drove over to the flood plains section of the refuge. The road is dirt the entire way suitable for most passenger cars in dry conditions. However, we suggest a car with some ground clearance and one you don’t mind getting dirty. At the end of the dirt road we did a hike through a wash out into the floodplains. It was supposed to be a loop but we did not do the whole thing as it was quite difficult to walk through the soft gravel wash bed.
Fire & Restoration
There was a destructive fire in 2021 that unfortunately wiped out a lot of the tall and picturesque cottonwood and willows that inhabited the floodplain. They’re actively trying to restore the area and there were many young trees planted and being supported as well as equipment the crews are using to replant. We’re excited to return one day and see new thriving cottonwoods.
Lake Havasu
Arguably the most famous location along the lower Colorado River, Lake Havasu is about 30 minutes north of Buckskin Mountain State Park. Lake Havasu has quite a bit to do, with water activities dominating the options. We visited in the summer of 2022 and had a great time beating the heat! Check out our blog for more on that trip here.
