Bill Williams River

As you drive away from Lake Havasu City and circle around the waterways and lake, you’ll stumble upon a beautiful little section of roadway with a bridge that spans a river. The river is the Bill Williams River and the area is the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge.

The area is named after Old Bill S. Williams, a trapper, trader, explorer, guide, and respected mountain man.

On one side of the bridge is the refuge… and the other is the beginnings of the condo-hell that makes up Lake Havasu. The refuge is a Riparian zone, meaning it is a transition zone between the river and the surrounding landscape. In this case, the surrounding landscape is desert. As you can expect, this makes the lush landscape critical to animals who wouldn’t normally be able to survive in the desert (e.g. frogs, beaver, bobcat, cougar, fox, deer, etc) and to migratory birds who need a place to stop during the migration from south to north.

As I looked out over the water, I imagined this as a resort for birds… and envisioned all the little birds asking if the flock can stop in the beautiful river with the grass so they can frolic and play in the water before continuing on their long journey (please, please, please).

This has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The photos don’t do it justice. Hiking, kayaking, and bird watching are all popular activities that happen around the river.

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