Bill Williams,
|
|
Alamo Dam to US-95
| Usual Difficulty |
II-III (may vary with level) |
| Length |
36 Miles |
Gauge Information
River Description
The Bill Williams River is a short, 36-mile long river flowing east to west through the Buckskin
Mountains of westcentral Arizona from Alamo Lake to the Colorado River at Lake Havasu. Bill's
sister, the Santa Maria River, flows into Alamo Lake from west of Prescott, or perhaps the river
just had a sex-change operation when it reached Alamo Lake. Who knows? Bill's streambed forms the
line between La Paz County to the south and Mohave County to the north, straddling the Swansea and
Rawhide Mountain Wildernesses on either side. Its flow depends almost entirely upon dam-released
water from Alamo Lake, which is primarily fed by the Santa Maria River with occasional monsoon
seasonal help from the Big Sandy River, Burro, Trout and Date Creeks. The river has a shallow
gradient and slow current with occasional Class I to II rapids that can escalate to Class II to III
status in rare high water conditions. The mountainous area surrounding the Bill Williams River is
very remote low desert with limited access and no services or signs of civilization to be found.
This is a Mojave Desert run just south of Needles, California, where the hottest U.S. temperatures
are routinely recorded.
The Bill Williams River, named for an Arizona mountain man who inhabited this area long ago, is a
natural wilderness area that is protected from development. Three sections of about 21 miles total
are being considered for "Wild and Scenic" designation. The area is home to a variety of wildlife,
birdlife, fishlife and indigenous vegetation. Riverbanks are lined with willow and cottonwood
trees. Deer, javelina, ringtail cats, foxes, bighorn sheep, coyotes, turtles, beavers, muskrats,
and raccoons may be seen along the river. It is suitable for canoeing, kayaking and rafting, but
much of the land adjacent to the river is privately owned ranchland, and trespassing is strongly
discouraged. There are only two public access roads below Alamo Dam, the El Paso Natural Gas
Pipeline Crossing and SH 95 at Lake Havasu. The El Paso pipeline crossing is no "major highway".
High clearance vehicles are recommended. Off-road vehicle operation is illegal and strictly
prohibited in this wilderness area. If you plan to paddle the Bill Williams River, then make sure
that you are thoroughly prepared and have adequate drinking water and other provisions. The run
will be long and slow, probably taking 2 full days, and possibly more, from just below Alamo Dam
depending upon river conditions and paddler stamina. 1-day trips can be taken by starting at either
of the two public access roads, This is a scenic desert adventure for strong-willed and
strong-bodied boaters who really like to get away from crowded rivers. This one will NOT be
inundated with throngs of paddlers!
The most significant hazards on the Bill Williams River are desert temperatures, scoarching sun,
cactus, rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, hot, desert sand, hot, desert winds and a vast remoteness that
has paddlers a long way from any type of services. Mountains along the riverbanks make cellular
communications next to impossible, if possible at all. There are no significant hazards to
navigation on the Bill Williams River.
The Bill Williams River almost always has water, but seldom is it at navigable levels. Late-winter
through early-spring months offer the best chances of finding boatable conditons. If you can make
it from Alamo Lake to the Colorado River, then you will find plenty of water for relaxing flatwater
trips down along the Arizona-California border, assuming you have any energy left after the first
36 miles. Remember the Boy Scout motto - BE PREPARED! Personally, I would have my .44 Mag with me
on a trip in this area - one never knows what he or she might encounter in the desert wilderness of
western Arizona.
Bill Williams is a "expert" level trip when the river is high enough to boat. (acording to the
State Park folks. First 6-7 miles are in a tight canyon.
Access Alamo Lake Rd to US 95
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2006-03-11 22:09:05
No guide books for this stream. If you know of a book that describes this stream please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. 
User Comments
about it from a BLM Ranger, who passed along the name and phone number of the Alamo Dam Manager.
The normal water management procedure in those days (proabaly the same now) was to open the dam
gates in early spring for a number of days, drastically increasing the flow rate in order to
effectively "flush" the river bed. According to the BLM Ranger, this was the time to run the river.
I contacted the dam manager and over the next year and a half managed to convince him that we
weren't totally insane for wanting to canoe this river. He finally agreed to help us out by
providing flow info, allowing us access just below the dam and letting us park a shuttle vehicle at
his house. A very nice guy even though he still thought we were a little crazy for putting a canoe
in a flash flood! The description here is accurate as far as what I remember. I would like to add a
couple of things. The first few miles of river, just below the dam, flows through a narrow canyon
with very few eddies or beaches to get out of the swiftly flowing current. The canyon soon opens up
and the river proceeds at a much more leisurely flow. Eventually the river seems to disappear and
becomes a wide flooded expanse. The water is too shallow in many places for a loaded canoe and it
becomes a challenge to find the actuall river bed to continue the journey. Along this stretch we
ran into one hazard I would like to mention as potentially serious. There were a couple of places
where barbed wire was strung across the river just above where the top of the boat was. It was late
afternoon on the second day and difficult to see the wire. We were lucky in that we did see the
wire just in time to get a paddle under it and deflect it from shredding us. For those looking for
an adventure, this is a very cool trip. The whitewater aspect of the river is not that challenging
but the remoteness and total lack of services make it a great adventure. Happy paddling, Bob M. Edit