Bill Williams
01. Alamo Dam to US-95
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 36.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Bill Williams River Below Alamo Dam, Az |
| Flow Rate as of 37 minutes | 42 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 27, 2020 |
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
...River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportAnother access point is at Lincoln Ranch (seen as Reid Valley on USGS topos). This is definitely private property (owned by an old mining operation) and is DEFINITELY a weird place.. however all the gates are open, it is abandoned, over run with burros, and is clearly used by OHVers. The vibe of the place is abandoned agriculture despite it being owned by a mining firm. I counted two two-tracks which diverge from the main route and access the Bill Will. One is on the eastern edge of the property along a fence line adjacent to the Rawhide Wilderness. Hope you like desert pinstripes! Another way in is through the fields and ultimately gets you to the same spot. Just watch for burros, potholes, and old fencing in the grass.
The Reid Valley take-out makes for a ~7 mile run through a SUPER esthetic canyon. Plenty of strainers in this section for sure. You gotta be on your toes, scouting blind turns, etc. Stellar camping abounds. Ran this in a 17' canoe and it was mostly chill. A couple portages around unavoidable strainers. Putting in below the dam is fine if you're down for carrying all your shit down .75 miles to the river. You can leave your rig at the Bill Williams Overlook in Alamo State Park for $12 a night. I spoke with a ranger; this is fine to do. Unload gear directly at the Army Corp dam gate.
As far as the shuttle goes. I'd recommend against taking the obvious line (Alamo Lake Road to Pipeline Road to Lincoln Ranch Road) because the Pipeline Road sucks. Its just as efficient if not faster to take the 'Powerline Road' to Midway, turn right onto Johnson Ranch Road, and then right onto Lincoln Ranch Road. These are cruiser roads. Powerline road is a little sandy and rougher nearest to Alamo, but takes shape approaching Midway. Or, for a smoother ride, just take paved roads to Bouse, AZ and hop on Johnson Ranch there.
Johnson Ranch will also take you to the Pipeline take out if you're looking for a longer run.
And you don't need a 44 magnum with you...
Also, this link was super helpful. https://resreg.spl.usace.army.mil/pages/bwms.php
You can pull up a data set showing Alamo lake level, acre/feet, average inflow (cfs), and instantaneous outflow (cfs).
With this data plus knowing that the targeted lake level elevation is 1,125', you can start to gauge how long they will be letting water out. Furthermore, using the Water Control Plan at https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Media/Fact-Sheets/Article/1511614/alamo-dam-water-control-plan/ you can even figure out a sort of release schedule.
Definitely get in touch with the UACE Los Angeles division and ask them what they are planning. Even the Alamo SP staff can help. Wouldn't wanna be out there and have the water shut off or turn up to 7k cfs!
post beaver dam drop and dodging strainers
beavers in the desert. beavers are going ham down here. did you know beavers liked tamarisk? I didn't.
yep
mellow. most of my photos are mellow. hard to take pictures of the hairy sections
sweepers at the beginning. this a pretty common thing.
.25 mi from Reid Valley the canyon opens up