 |
| Willow Beach Marina, Arizona |
I first came across Willow Beach Marina years ago when powering northward on Lake Mojave from Catherine Landing in Bullhead City, Arizona.
It was one of those perfect early summer days when the temperature hadn’t reached cooking an egg on the asphalt hot and the skies promised to be crystal blue and cloudless.
So, untying my pontoon boat from the slip at Katherine Landing, my buddy Paul and I headed out for the roughly 50-mile trip across the deep blue waters of Lake Mojave. We would top off the fuel at Cottonwood Cove Marina, east of Searchlight, Nevada, before continuing on to Willow Beach Marina.
Paul wanted to see the marina, which he hadn’t seen in decades.
“It’s funky,” he said. “There’s a bar right on the water, which is a great place to grab a cold one.”
One thing he did not know was that the Willow Beach he remembered no longer existed as it once had.
 |
| The new and improved Willow Beach Marina and Store |
Monsoonal floods happen along the Colorado River. In September of 1974, a massive wall of water crashed down El Dorado Canyon just ten miles south of Willow Beach, leaving nine people dead, and the small resort of Nelson Landing devastated. It was never rebuilt.
The National Park Service does its best to warn visitors of the dangers when sudden pop-up storms rise in the dry deserts near the Colorado River, and of how those storms can trigger life-threatening situations.
 |
| Please take heed |
Willow Beach was founded in the 1940s by locals from Las Vegas as a small fishing and boating community. Even back then, the Park Service had warned about possible flooding down the steep canyons that reach into the Colorado River.
People, as people often do, shrugged their shoulders and realized that there are times when the rains and hard-packed desert sands don’t play well.
One person stated, “We know we live in a flood plain. It just goes with the territory.”
In 1992, a so-called 100-year storm caused a wave of water over 10 feet roaring down Jumbo Wash just 200 yards south of Willow Beach. Then again, in February of 1993, an unseasonal flash occurred, sending yet more torrents of rain, causing over a $100,000 damage to the area - destroying buildings, roadways, and other improvements.
But the continued ‘unusual’ storms occurred throughout the decades, causing so much damage to the Willow Beach Beach and Marina that it had to be rebuilt by the National Park Service.
It was no longer the ‘funky’ place Paul had remembered from years past. No, it looked like any other marina with plenty of slips, a fuel dock, restaurant, market, and a new and improved camping area.
 |
| Willow Beach parking and marina during the summer |
So recently Laureen, my lovely wife, and I headed to Las Vegas for a few days and decided to take US 93 from Bullhead City to Sin City, while making a short detour at Willow Beach.
 |
| Laureen Beyer enjoying the views from Willow Beach patio |
The three-and-a-half-mile road from US 93 to the marina is narrow, twisty, and in need of some repair, in my opinion. In some spots, I would not want to maneuver our Bounder with a boat attached to the rear end - it would be very slow going and apt to upset the folks behind us.
But once we arrived at the marina, the winding road was a thing of the past. The views of the Colorado River were spectacular, with blue waters and towering cliffs both north and south of the marina.
The winter weather on this trip was a bit on the cooler side, but the sun was shining bright overhead, making it a bit more manageable.
We were surprised at how many folks were out and about on the wide sandy beaches and carrying kayaks of all sizes back and forth from the parking lot.
 |
| Visitors taking in the blue skies and blue waters at Willow Beach |
The region is not only known for regular power boating, but paddling northward toward Hoover Dam, a mere 12 miles in kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards. A few miles south of the Hoover Dam is the marvelous natural destination of Emerald Cave.
 |
| Looking Northwest toward river running from Hoover Dam |
People from all over the state and country visit this area to view the vibrant green water when sunlight strikes the walls of Black Canyon and then is reflected into the water, usually in the mid-afternoon.
The cave was once a landmark for engineers to measure the water flow that ran past the Willow Beach Gauging Station, built in 1931.
Laureen and I watched as groups of people either paddled off separately toward Hoover Dam or joined paid tour groups to Emerald Cave.
They were wearing shorts and tank tops. Laureen and I both had on sweatshirts. We were not going on any tour that day.
The Willow Beach Harbor Marina and Camp Store lured Laureen in like a trout.
“I just want to see what they have,” she said.
In other words, my wallet may be a bit lighter when we left Willow Beach to head back toward Las Vegas.
Amazingly, after spending about ten minutes within the store, we left without purchasing anything but a simple magnet stating we had been to Willow Beach. It’s a habit that if we enter a store, we buy something, no matter how small, as a way to say thank you to the proprietor.
“That was awesome,” I said.
“The store?” Laureen asked.
“That and the fact we still have enough cash for the rest of our trip.”
Being seasoned travelers, we had brought some snacks to enjoy while on the road, so I drove out of the parking lot and headed for the vista point a hundred or so feet above the marina.
 |
| John R Beyer at the overlook near Willow Beach, Arizona |
The view was gorgeous as we sat quietly nibbling on salami, cheese, and crackers while taking in the majesty of the Colorado River both north and south of Willow Beach.
This sight hadn’t been available when Paul and I had boated to the Willow Beach Marina from the waters edge, and today I was glad for the short detour to take it all in.
“It’s beautiful,” Laureen said.
I simply nodded. Sometimes words can not compete with Mother Nature.
For more information: https://willowbeachharbor.com/
John can be reached at: beyersbyways@gmail.com
