12/10 Willow Beach Campground

I have been saving all of the photos I have taken of the campground area for this single and last post on this place.  I've been here for two lovely and relaxing weeks, but am heading to Death Valley in the morning, after a few stops for gas and a few groceries on the way.  

I'll try to present these in a logical order, which will not necessarily be in the same order as they were taken.  

First, Willow Beach Campground is part of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, so it is a federal campground but run by a concessionaire.  You get to this campground by driving about 13 miles south of Hoover Dam on US 93.  Or you can drive north from Kingman or Davis Dam, which is south on the Colorado River.  Both routes are on the Arizona side of the river, with very little access to this part of the river.  

The part of the Colorado River from the dam to Lake Mohave is referred to as the Black Canyon of the Colorado because the steep mountains keep sunlight from the river.  It is mostly a wilderness area, so hiking is allowed, but ATVs are allowed and there are not even very many hiking trails available.  The best way to travel that area is by renting a kayak or boat.  There are companies that will drop you off at various points and pick you up later, if needed. 

You can catch a couple of glimpses of the river as you drive on US 93, by stopping at either of two scenic pullovers just north of the entrance to the Willow Beach area.  The next three photos were taken from the northbound viewpoint when I went there to get some cell service when the internet service at the campground was down for three days. 

 

Willow Beach Marina and campground are just behind the hill at the very bottom of the river area in this photo.  

 

And a closeup of the river from the scenic viewpoint.   You can just barely see a tiny portion of the marina parking lot. 

 

I posted photos of the 4-mile-long entrance road a few days ago, but below are two views of the road that goes from the store and visitor center at the marina to the campground.  You can see in these photos that the road to the campground was built in a wash, which means that it is dry 95% of the time, but becomes a raging river during heavy rains.  Which also means that if you are camping here in a heavy rain, you might not be able to leave until the flood stops, so you may be stuck here for a couple of days. 

 

 

The campsites here are large and modern, with full hookups, meaning you have electric, water, and sewer at each site.  There are also about 10 tent-only sites available, with a bathhouse and even small laundry room available.

 

 

This view is looking up at the mountains, towards the highway, four miles away.  Being so far away from the highway, makes the campground very peaceful.

This view is looking down toward the river, though my rig is blocking the view of the river.  

 

 

The rangers' homes are past the campground, farther away from the river and even higher than the campground in elevation.  

 

 

This was my second campsite.  I prefer it because it is a back-in site, so more private and with a slightly better view.  

 

 

 

 

I managed to catch a few photos this morning of a small flock of Gambel's Quail.  These cute little birds seldom fly, but are constantly running around on the ground looking for seeds.  They are always in flocks and stick together for safety. 

 

You can tell the males from the females because the males are slightly more brightly colored and have bigger topknot feathers.  The bird on the lower left of the first photo is definitely a male. 

 

 

These two are apparently a pair. 

I decided to walk the half-mile downhill to the store to pick up a couple of camping toys I had seen yesterday that were 75% off.  I thought they would make good gifts.  There was a very nice hiking path to walk on instead of walking on the roadway.  You can see the small ditch for rainwater along the path.

 

 

This view is looking downstream through the canyon.  If you headed this way, you would eventually make it to Lake Mohave.  

 

 

 

And upstream is the marina and the fishery in the distance.  It is about 12 miles to the Hoover Dam via the river.  Many people rent kayaks and just paddle in the area, but others rent them from companies that will drop you off below the dam and pick you up here.   

 

 

Onward tomorrow to my next stop--Death Valley.   

12/3 Willow Beach Flood Control

First, some background.  Willow Beach has had a long history of flash floods, even if it is located in one of the driest parts of the southwest.  There was a trailer village and campground on this National Park Service land as far back as the 1940s.  A closer look at the surrounding area makes it clear that there are a lot of steep mountains that drain into the Colorado River in this area.  As you drive in, you also cannot miss the many dry washes and canyons that funnel water during heavy summer rains. 

The biggest and most disastrous flood occurred in 1974 just a few miles south of here, killing 9 people when the area had 3" of rain in one hour.  In the 1970s, the Willow Beach area included a large campground, marina, restaurant, motel, gas station, and trailer park. All of those facilities were removed in the early 2000s after several floods damaged many of the facilities.   This article describes the anger of local residents who did want to move and fought the closure for several years:  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-13-mn-23402-story.html

The current campground, visitor center, fishery, and ranger cabins were built in 2009-2010, with the campground and ranger homes on much higher, and supposedly, safer ground.  The new campground is full hookup, with paved camping pads and asphalt roadways.  It and the marina are run by a concessionaire, but seniors like me who have a national park senior pass get a substantial discount.  

The problem is that water from flash floods is not always easy to control, so while major efforts were made to direct flood waters away from the facilities at Willow Beach, a heavy rain as happened this past summer, can still cause problems.   

To understand the flash flood problem, you need to start with a view of Highway 93, as it parallels the Colorado River on its way south.  This is an animal bridge so the bighorn sheep can safely cross the highway. 

And this is a view of a glimpse of the Colorado River at Willow Beach, taken from a scenic rest area on the highway.  The area is very dry and consists of a lot of mountains that show evidence of erosion from very occasional heavy rains.

 

As you drive into Willow Beach off of US 93 on the Arizona side of the Colorado River, you will find a sign warning you of debris on the roadway or damage.  I have been coming here for nine years, and some sort of warning sign is always there.  Another clue to flooding is the roadway itself.  It is heavily worn asphalt with evidence of recent sand and dirt removal.  (They keep grading and other heavy equipment at the visitor center area.)

It is hard to tell from photographs, but the four-mile long roadway is fairly steep, so it acts as a "wash" during rains. 

About two-thirds of the way down, the road enters a canyon that further funnels flood waters.

 

 

They try to keep the roadway in decent condition, but you can tell where sections have been washed out and patched.  

 

Not sure I would want to be caught here in a rainstorm!  You can tell how the recent rains have damaged this section.  

Part of the problem is that not only does water come down the road, but it also enters the canyon through the many smaller side canyons, bring dirt and sand with it.  By this point, many people are convinced that somehow they have taken the wrong road, but there is really only one road into and out of this area!

Luckily, at this point, the canyon opens up and the oasis of Willow Beach appears.  At this point, you are tempted to say "Wow!"

To the left is the wash-out area for boats being pulled out of the area.  All boats must be washed and dried to prevent the spread of zebra mussels, plus there is parking here for people launching kayaks into the river.  

Ahead, on the left, is the visitor center. 

In front of the visitor center, and to the far left here, is the boat ramp, which serves a dual purpose. 

On the right is the large parking lot, but in the right foreground is the opening of the flood control wash that runs down from the campground.  Water crosses the roadway here and flows down the boat ramp into the river. 

Here is a view up the flood control channel.  To the left is the main parking lot, which you must drive through to get to the campground.

And a closeup.  As you can see, there have not yet gotten around to removing all of the sand that flowed down with the flood waters.  

This photo shows the boat ramp, aka flood control ramp.

As you turn right just past the flood channel, you drive through the parking lot and actually into the wash that empties into the controlled channel.  You can tell by the color of the pavement that this is where the flood water crosses the roadway.  At this point, you are now going up a fairly steep hill to reach the campground.  In this area, obviously, higher is better than lower.

The flood channel is now on the left of the roadway.  You can see where the water flowed during the last flood here.  There are a few rocks that are supposed to help channel the water.

Almost to the campground.  You can see an RV on the upper level, but you can also see a LOT of sand that was washed down during the last couple of floods.  (The biggest one was last summer, but there were also two heavy rains in November this year.)

In the distance, the roadway turns left into the campground with the ranger's home a little farther up the hill.  We are about 300' above the river level. 

This is looking down the wash from the place where the roadway crosses it again to get to the campground.

This is an impressive photo taken late in the afternoon, showing the roadway from the marina and visitor center that I had just driven up.  

 

So, what do you think happens to campers during and a day or two after a flood, like the one last summer??  Right, you are stuck until the flood stops and the equipment can remove the sand that is covering the roadway!!

 

I will be posting photos of the campground tomorrow, but in spite of the flood dangers, this is still one of my favorite campgrounds west of the Mississippi.  I have camped next to and below dams, but this is one of few places I have been where you can really see how a flood can affect you personally. 

I have been told that they are planning to build a new road down to the area, but have not yet decided which canyon to build it in or how to build it so it will not get flooded out periodically.  

Here is a video that show flooding along Willow Creek road through the canyon.  You can hardly tell there is a road there.  The first was in 2017:  https://www.facebook.com/lakemeadnps/videos/willow-beach-road-flood-7-25-17/10156344927590828/ 

12/1 More Clark County Wetlands Photos

I went back to this wetlands near Las Vegas and was able to spend a bit more time, so here are some additional photos.  Way before the white man arrived in this valley, there was a river that flowed through it.  It is now more of a wash, but the county has added tiny dams and weirs to slow the flow of water during rains, so it stays wet all year and attracts animals and birds.  Nice to have a little oasis in the desert!!

 Nice, big parking lot for my motorhome.

Almost all the paths in the wetlands are paved.  No dogs are allowed in most areas, and no bikes except on the bike path.

There are a lot of tiny pools and streams, but sometimes you can find them only by listening for running water.  This tiny pond had a coot in it.  (Coots are almost-ducks with webbed feet but different beaks.)

The hardest birds to photograph are Gambel's Quail because they never stand still!  Got this one as he was headed for cover.

Can't walk all the way there, but this is a slightly larger pond.

One of the tiny streams.  I could hear a waterfall, but could not get to it.

Another male Gambel's Quail.

 

 

Mistletoe is an air plant that grows on trees in the desert.  This one is full of white berries. 

 

 

 

This boardwalk leads to another larger pond. 

 

 

This is a Common Gallinule.  It also looks like a duck and behaves like a duck, but it has a different-looking beak than a duck and is not related to them. 

 

 

More mistletoe, just in time for Christmas. 

 

There is a lot more to the Las Vegas area than casinos and big hotels, so if you are ever in this area, drive out to Valley of Fire and explore the pictographs, rent a boat or kayak at Willow Beach Marina on the Colorado River, or take a relaxing walk through the Clark County Wetlands!