The Boating Vacation Spot

The Colorado River in Parker Arizona is a favorite vacation spot for our family. This stretch of river is known as the Parker Strip. It runs for 16 miles and is just south of Lake Havasu.

During the summer, the cool water in the river is refreshing and the recreation never ends. Boats pull skiers and tubes or just cruise up and down the Colorado River, being careful to avoid sandbars when the water level is low.

Anglers enjoy fishing in the early hours before the recreation seekers have risen. The fish are mostly bass, but every now and then you see a group of fish fly out of the water. If birding is your passion, the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge is just a few miles north of the Parker Dam. The refuge was established in 1941 and is a temporary home to many migratory birds, including the endangered Yuma Clapper Rail. There is also an 18-hole golf course for your sporting pleasure.

The winter climate is mild and many retirees migrate to the area from colder regions. The Blue Water Casino is a great place to watch the river action and have some fun at the same time. The Casino also has a theater and hotel, docks, a waterside grill and slides for the kids.

Dining out is a problem. There aren’t many good restaurants; the best you’ll get is fast food or the portable dining truck parked along Riverside Drive in an empty lot. The Mexican restaurants and riverside grills are mostly dives or the food is just plain bad. There is a new Indian Fry Bread Restaurant, the menu looks interesting, but many have come and gone at this site, so we will have to wait and see if they are successful.

The best campground is Buckskin State Park, but don’t try it during the summer unless you have an RV. It is just too hot for comfort of any type. Any other time of the year is great, it has a market, grill and apparel shop.

The California side of the river is filled with RV parks, many with their own perks and club rates. BLM has control of the land as does the Colorado River Indian Tribe, so it is virtually all lease land, which makes the Arizona side more popular for hotels and permanent residents.

Parker is located on the western border of Arizona on the Colorado River, 35 miles north of the I-10 and 40 miles south of Lake Havasu. Parker is 163 miles west of Phoenix and 250 miles east of Los Angeles.

If you enjoy floating or boating down beautiful stretches of scenic waterway, this is a great place to check out.