Location: Parker
Top Things to do in Parker
Countries
The 10 Best Things to Do in Parker, United States
Parker (Mojave 'Amat Kuhwely, formerly 'Ahwe Nyava) is the county seat of La Paz County, Arizona, United States, on the Colorado River in Parker Valley. The population was 3,083 at the 2010 census.
Restaurants in Parker
1. Desert Bar and Nellie E Saloon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 104 reviews
Reviewed By jsawill - hemet
So here’s the truth. It’s an amazing place! Great bar, great food, great atmosphere and a terrific band. All the staff was friendly and fun and even though the place is packed there are plenty of places to sit. Now, getting there. We aren’t off roaders. We were driving a full-size pick up. We went in the “good road”. It’s 5 miles of rocks, not boulders, but jagged little ones. The kind that give you flat tires, and yes we got one. 4 wheel drive isn’t necessary and we did see a couple cars make the trip. You will have some new rattles in your vehicle when you get back to the main road. 5 stars with an asterisk.
2. Buckskin Mountain State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 77 reviews
Buckskin Mountain State Park commands one of the finest views along the Parker strip, an 18-mile stretch between Parker Dam and Headgate Dam. Mountains line the river on both the Arizona and California sides, and the wildlife is as varied as the recreational opportunities along the river. This picturesque park provides a scenic respite, mountain hikes, a desert escape and fun-filled water adventure. Come enjoy all the park has to offer. The park has a campground, cabana sites, beach, hiking trails, boat ramp, picnic area, basketball and volleyball court, playground, restaurant, park store, arcade and gas dock.
Reviewed By Jerry P - Simi Valley, California
This was our second visit to Buckskin and it remains one of our favorite RV camp sites. This AZ state park is very well maintained, had excellent facilities and friendly and helpful rangers and volunteers. We had a pull-through RV spot that was almost perfectly level, 50 A service that worked and even the park Wi-Fi worked (most of the time). It's a beautiful location right in a bend in the river with a good sized launch ramp, parking and a well-stocked camp store. Altogether a great place to spend a week on the river.
3. Emerald Canyon Golf Course
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 50 reviews
Reviewed By Diane A
Four of us played early pm. Throughly enjoyed the day. Was a little backed up. Took 5 hrs plus to play 18. Awesome scenery and course was on beautiful shape
4. Parker Dam
Overall Ratings
4 based on 21 reviews
Reviewed By kanbaatar - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Parker Dam is a small but interesting Concrete Arch Dam with a small powerhouse located just North of the small town of Parker, Arizona, on the Colorado River. In this area, the center of the Colorado River is the border between the states of California and Arizona. So the dam sits in each state. Parker Dam waters form Lake Havasu which itself sits in California and Arizona.
My wife and I were driving from Lake Havasu City, Arizona, to Phoenix, Arizona, on Arizona State Highway 95 when we saw a sign directing interested visitors to the Parker Dam. We took advantage of this opportunity and visited Parker Dam. We found it to be very interesting. You can drive across the dam from Arizona over into California and view the dam from several pleasant vantage points. On the Arizona side there is a small Recreation Area that overlooks the dam.
IF you have the time and the interest to visit Parker Dam, I don't think you will be at all disappointed. We enjoyed taking an hour break from the traffic on AZ Hwy 95.
IF you are not interested in dams you may say or think : So what? Who Cares? What's the big deal here? Don't waste your time visiting.
5. La Paz County Park
Overall Ratings
4 based on 24 reviews
Reviewed By BullwinkleLineman - Langley, Canada
We are in a motorhome and enjoy spending Xmas and New Years at La Paz en-route further south. The functions they put on are fun and entertaining and the people are all very friendly. We enjoy the golf and touring the back country. The pub/restaurants that bookend the Park are added bonuses. Happy hour on the Colorado makes for a fun time with cheap appies.
6. BlueWater Casino
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 121 reviews
Reviewed By Ray S - Brea, California
Discovered this place while getting lunch during a stop at the Parker airport.
It is not Vegas, not Laughlin. Don't look for rooftop pool or hot babes. But it has a marina, water park, water slide, pool, and boats for rent. Three places to eat on site. Has evening shows from time to time.
Nicely run, clean. And Parker is just down the road.
Casino has video slots and poker, and blackjack tables. No roulette or craps. Slots from 1 cent upward.
7. Swansea Ghost Town
Overall Ratings
4 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By fw190a8 - Cheltenham
I noticed a few other reviewers mentioning "easy drive" so I thought I would offer my opinion: this is a very long drive from Parker, Arizona, and I found it quite challenging in a standard car.
It's about 30 miles, about 13 of which is on good, paved road, and then the remaining 17 is on dirt, which varies from good to very rough. This trip will take about one hour (one way) from Parker, maybe 45 minutes if you really don't drive carefully. This is possible if you take a standard car, but the rough parts are very slow going, and really not advisable if at all wet. There is no help available, and if you get stuck or break down, you're a long way from anything in order to get help.
A truck or 4WD would be my recommendation. I took a standard car and there are several places with deep ruts where the bottom of the car will interact with the stones. There are also very bumpy sections which, if taken too quickly, will cause the car to "bottom out" and scrape the underside.
There is also one bridge with an 8-ton weight limit! I would not expect anyone to attempt this in a vehicle over 8 tons: it's definitely not suitable for most RVs or for towing.
The directions are very clear and it's good to see such good signposting. From Shea Road outside Parker, there's a number of good signs with direction and distance to Swansea. It would be hard to go wrong, but make sure you have a GPS or phone with maps because getting lost would involve a very long trip on difficult roads.
There are no amenities here: it's a ghost town. There are no restrooms, there's no gift shop, and there's nowhere to buy water, so bring plenty of your own just in case. There is no entry fee and nothing to buy.
Everything is fully explorable except the mine shafts (for obvious reasons) and you're free to look around the town at your leisure. Everything is easily accessible on foot once you've parked up, but you do have the option of driving to most of the buildings if you prefer.
During my visit, there was nobody else around. I didn't see another person or vehicle from the time I left the main road, all through my visit, until the time I got back on the main road.
This town was (shamefully) vandalised and as a result, there isn't as much to see as there would have been, but there is a collection of worker houses, a couple of (covered) mine shafts, the ruins of a smelter and the manager's house, and the ruins of a dust collector, as well as loads of pipes, pathways and general debris.
Because this is a ghost town and everyone should be able to enjoy it as such, you need to be careful: don't drop any litter (take it all back with you in the car: there's no trash cans), don't move any objects and especially don't take anything away with you. Don't be tempted to write your name or any graffiti on anything: there's nobody around to stop this sort of thing, but it would ruin the place for everyone else. There is a special plaque (not part of the original town) that you can use to write on if you really feel the need.
Remarkably, everything is very well signposted when you arrive, and boards explain the purpose of each of the buildings (most of which are ruined) and what happened to them over the years, as well as a great history of the town.
You can definitely get a great sense of early 20th century life in Arizona from visiting this place, but it's fragile, and very remote. It gets extremely hot, so be prepared when you visit and don't be tempted to take anything away other than photographs. If you're sensitive to the heat, precious about your vehicle, or have an RV, or are wheelchair bound, this definitely is not a good place to visit.
That said, I was fascinated by this place, the history it has left behind, and the feeling of isolation and desolation you get when visiting. Provided you're not looking for a casual American tourist experience, and not put off by the above, it's a real pleasure to visit and experience this place.
8. Colorado River Indian Tribes Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By tceng - Phoenix, Arizona
July 12, 2009: The Colorado River Indian Tribe's Cultural Resource Director, Dr. Michael Tsosie has a top flight scholarly and a personal knowledge of life in the lower Colorado River Valley. The museum is moving to Parker's movie in the center of town and promises to be an interesting visit.
9. Club Roadrunner
Overall Ratings
5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Caryn S - Longview, Texas
Roadrunner Bar is easily accessible by car, walking or boat. Next to La Paz County Park and close to Pirates Den RV Park. The Happy Hour is fun!!!! Food is excellent. We've had breakfast, lunch and dinner there. Road Runner has a floating bar so boaters just pull up and get out.
10. Wet And Wyld Watersports
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 3 reviews
Jetskis and Boat Rentals for Parker Az., Wet And Wyld Watersports is located 2 miles south of the BlueWater Casino, We offer a wide selection of rentals such as, old school stand up jetskis, 3 seater sit down waverunners, 3 seater Seadoos, Pontoon boats, and ski boats, our goal is 100% customer satisfaction , and we are open year round for your rental needs. Sit back and let us do all the work .
Reviewed By Deborah M - Mission Viejo, California
Jason took care of us from start to finish. When the wind got snarky, he rearranged our deal to end that day and start up again on the next. He was awesome-easy going, honest, fair. His price was cheaper than everyone else and he didn't gouge us for gas and "miscellanous events of unknown" that the other places like hitting you with. The price was the price and stayed the price until the end. He was super prompt at refunding our deposit too.
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