Spectacular Buckskin Mountain State Park: Hiking Amazing Arizona

Colorado River Views, Canyons, Rugged Mountains and Sunsets

Located about 15-20 minutes north of Parker and about 30 south of Lake Havasu City in the Colorado River gorge, Buckskin Mountain State Park is a personal favorite in western Arizona. Aside from the rugged mountain and canyon scenery, the spectacular sunsets and Colorado River itself, you can find some saguaros and other rare cacti for western Arizona along the hiking trails.

Buckskin Mountain Basics

Buckskin Mountain State Park is located about 15-20 minutes north of Parker and 30 south of Lake Havasu City on AZ-95 in the Colorado River Gorge south of Parker Dam. It provides river access as well as hiking, mountain biking (on part of one trail), 4×4 driving (on one road that passes through the park). Four major trails lead through rugged desert terrain to beautiful overlooks over the Colorado gorge on both sides of AZ-95 with a pedestrian bridge crossing the road. Tent and RV riverside campsites. See below and the state park website for more details and the official park map.

My Visit

Being practically a local, I decided to drive down to Buckskin Mountain for a sunset visit after work recently. I initially was only intending to hike to one or two of the overlook. However, the light lingered longer than I expected so I ended up doing about 3-4 miles. I parked in the lot just inside the ranger station and headed up the trail just outside the station.

Buckskin Loop & River View Trails to River View Overlook

The trail climbs steeply to the top of a promontory and then traverses over to a fork; the left fork goes to an overlook of the park in about 0.1-0.2 miles. I went right, and the trail drops to the bridge over AZ-95. Crossing the bridge, the trail forks again, and I went right, rolling through a wash and then climbing to a pair of overlooks over the river. As it was approaching sunset, the gorge walls and river were absolutely gorge-ous (see what I did there?).

The view inspired me to continue along the trail to the next fork and follow the River View trail about 1.5 miles to another overlook facing southwest in line with the river. On the way, I passed several saguaro cacti – a rarity in this part of Arizona, the only ones that I have seen west of the Harquahalas, especially at this low elevation.

River View Overlook to Parking

As I got to the overlook at the end of the River View Trail, the sunset was peaking with the pink glow of Arizona sunsets hanging in the air, the crescent moon had come out, and Jupiter was visible just below. On the way back, I took the other half of the Buckskin Loop and made a brief stop at the bottom overlook at the end of the Red Trail that I bypassed on the way up before heading home. Would 100% return and if I wasn’t a local this is one of the best camping areas in the vicinity.

Services at Buckskin Mountain

Hiking: Yes
Camping: Yes
Dirt Road Driving: Yes, one road
Mountain Biking: Yes, north of Desert Bar Road
Paddling/Boat Launch: Yes
Other Activities: Picnic Area, Sports fields/courts, playground, camp store, restaurant, flush toilets, hot showers, dump station, stargazing, swimming, wildlife viewing, OHVing, horseback riding, nature trails

Campgrounds

Sites: 69
Maximum RV Length: No
Riverfront Campsites: 21
Full Hookup Campsites: 15
Tent Sites: Yes
Most campsites have water and 30-amp electric hookups

Other Parks and State and Federal Lands Near Buckskin Mountain

Lake Havasu City Field Office (BLM)

The Lake Havasu City Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management manages 1.3 million acres of federal land, including land that surrounds nearly 140 miles of the lower Colorado River in La Paz and Mohave Counties. 5 wilderness areas are included in the field office as well as hiking, off roading, and cycling opportunities and historical sites such as Swansea. The park also offers 65 shoreline campsites accessible only foot or boat – mostly only by boat.

Havasu National Wildlife Refuge

Surrounding the Colorado River in Topock Gorge north of Lake Havasu City, including historical sites such as Picture Rock, Havasu NWR includes 30 river miles and 300 miles of shoreline from Needles to Lake Havasu. 318 bird species rely on the marshes north of Topock and the gorge to the south, and desert bighorn sheep can be found in the rocky Havasu Wilderness surrounding Topock Gorge. The designated Wilderness area is best accessed from the river, though it is possible to hike or ride a horse in from the boundary with the surrounding BLM land managed by the above field office.

Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge

Located at the south end of Lake Havasu, the Bill Williams River is a hidden gem in the area. The Lake Havasu FO and the refuge are working on establishing a long distance hiking trail stretching through the area from the city toward Alamo Lake State Park. In the meantime, this is an outstanding paddling area, with motorized boats prohibited. Best accessed from the water due to the destruction of the lake end of the road through it a few miles off of its end at US-95 in a fire a few years ago, it can also be accessed from the road on the desert side as well, however, that must now be done from roads that start near Parker.

Lake Havasu State Park

Located in Lake Havasu City, the park offers lakeside camping for tents and RVs alike. This is one of the primary access points for boats to Lake Havasu, so be prepared for substantial boat traffic in the summer months. In the winter months it is primarily used by campers. The park also features the Arroyo-Camino Interpretive Garden on desert flora and the popular Sunset Trail. Two replica lighthouses of the many which line the lake are located within the park – East Quoddy Head at the north end of the Channel spanned by London Bridge (not accessible from the park) and Cape Henry. The park is one of the best lakeside locations to watch the sunset.

River Island State Park

Located on the Colorado River just north of Buckskin Mountain, this camping-oriented park joins Crossroads Campground of the BLM as the two primary frontcountry campground preferences for tent campers in the area. It can nearly be linked to Buckskin Mountain through the 3.4 mile long Buckskin Trail starting at the River Island Market 0.6 miles south of the entrance along US-95, but this requires a short roadwalk along 95 and then crossing without the benefit of the bridge at Buckskin Mountain.