With brilliant views of the Colorado River, a beautiful beach and an endless list of recreational activities available to visitors, River Island State Park is a brilliant travel destination for all outdoor lovers. Ideal for tent and RV camping, the park offers scenic mountain views, unique wildlife viewing and a vast array of water sports in the Colorado River.
Located in Arizona, the park is most popular for its aquatic sports due to its location by the river. The easy river access makes the park a hotspot for activities like fishing, boating, swimming and jet skiing and there are numerous other non-aquatic activities available to visitors including hiking, birding and tourism.
RV campers will have a blast at River Island State Park. The park has 37 pet friendly campsites with eight beach front sites available. The beach and boat ramp, as well as hiking trails are just a short walk away from the campground. This resort is definitely a premium destination and all outdoor enthusiasts will love the cultural and recreational diversity of River Island.
River Island State Park is easily accessible by RV and any other vehicle. The park is located along U.S Highway 95 in Arizona; the River Island Market is about 1/4 mile outside the park entrance and offers food, clothing, gas and many other accessories you might need while camping. Visitors will need to pay an entrance fee to enter the park. Slow driving is advised once you enter, as there are a few tricky turns to negotiate at the entrance especially for bigger vehicles.
The roads within the park are smooth and paved and signboards near the entrance direct you to different parts of the resort. There are no particular restrictions within the resort and vehicles passed fit to enter at the gate can take you to any part of the park you wish.
River Island campground is located in a beautiful cove, a few hundred feet away from the Colorado River at River Island State Park. The campground features 37 pet-friendly campsites with eight of them being beachfront campsites, all with water and electricity hookups. There are also camping options for tent campers as well as group camping options.
Flush toilets, drinking water and clean showers and a dump station are all available at the campground. The boat ramp and day use area are just a short hike away and there is also a small convenience store at the campground. Picnic tables, payphones and a fire pit are also some of the other amenities at the ground.
Camping reservations can be made at any time. From October till the end of the year, the park gives 2 free nights of camping to visitors who spend 5 days at the resort. There is also a maximum camping limit of 14 days.
Swimming is one of River Island's most popular recreational activities. The warm river water makes swimming the perfect early morning exercise and other water sports like boating and kayaking are also popular at the river.
The river's current can get extremely erratic at certain intervals during the day, so swimming is ill advised for kids and adults are to stick as close to shoreline as possible. Swimming at the boat ramp is prohibited as there are no life guards at the river so any water sport is done at your own risk
Hiking boots are a necessity for anyone who wants to enjoy the full extent of Colorado River's beauty. Numerous hiking trails run across the park with each trail giving you unique views of the river as well as different birding and wildlife viewing opportunities.
There is a trail right by the river which gives hikers breathtaking views of both sunrise and sunset with a full view of migratory birds in flight. There are trails leading from the riverside to off-highway vehicle back country roads where you can spot numerous hikers and bikers making their way to and from Lake Havasu City. Be sure to bring binoculars on your hiking trip to give you a much better experience.
You might want to bring your fishing equipment along when visiting River Island as the Colorado River is teeming with a wide range of fish species. Trout, catfish and numerous species of sunfish swim with the river's current with Spanish Mackerel also being a popular catch particularly at dusk when the tide rises.
Other common fish species along the shores include titus and bass. Fishing equipment is available for rent at the River Island Market, as well as at various fishing spots across the park.
Wildlife viewing opportunities are possible for hikers and other visitors within the park. The park's desert landscape is home to a diverse range of animals that have learned to thrive in the park's harsh desert environment. Desert bighorn sheep are a common sight for hikers along the Colorado River and can be easily spotted around midday as they relax in nearby shade and come to the river banks for a drink.
Coyotes are also common within the park and can be spotted hunting at sunset and sunrise. Smaller mammals like ferrets, hares, and badgers are also common sights while hiking across the park.
The edges of Colorado River as well as the tall forest trees and marshlands that surround River Island are habitat to over 160 different bird species. Just sitting by the open river at dusk when there are fewer swimmers and jet skis will bring you close to some of the region's most unique birds with jaegers and storm-petrels often spotted bathing in the evening river.
Further down the river toward Lake Havasu is also a good birding spot, where there are calmer currents and less people. Anyone around this part of the river at sunrise can see a wide range of songbird species as well as some waterfowl and ducks too.
Looking to spend some quality time away from the river in off-season? There are a lot of late-year cultural festivities at Colorado River and its surroundings. Lake Havasu, northwest of River Isle hosts a number of annual events in the off-season, attracting thousands of people from neighboring regions to Colorado River.
The annual London Bridge Days, Winterfest and Festival of Lights are just a few festivities that take place annually at Lake Havasu. Lake Havasu is also a hotspot for watersports as many people come here to swim and boat due to the high currents and constantly rising tides at Colorado River.
