New OHV trailhead opens at River Island State Park in La Paz County

Arizona State Parks and Trails completed Phase 1 construction on a new off-highway vehicle trailhead and staging area between Buckskin Mountain and River Island state parks, creating a formal access point for riders moving into the Parker Strip recreation corridor. The agency announced the work on June 10, 2025, and said the project included an official ribbon-cutting event.

For La Paz County riders, the practical change is simple: the new site gives off-highway vehicle users a designated place to begin a trip near the Colorado River, rather than relying on an improvised approach around River Island State Park. A temporary notice issued on November 14, 2024, had warned of construction off the east side of State Route 95 near River Island State Park and closed a trailhead access point during the buildout. The completed Phase 1 work turns that temporary construction zone into a permanent staging area tied to the state park system.

That matters in a corridor where river recreation, camping and OHV traffic already overlap. River Island State Park sits beside one of the busiest stretches of the Parker area, and Arizona State Parks says park improvements are still in process there, with construction noise possible on weekdays. The park’s trail information also points to the Wedge Hill Trail, a roughly half-mile route that climbs uphill and offers views of the Colorado River and Parker Dam, a reminder that the park is already a shared-use space where hikers, campers, paddlers and riders all cross paths.

The state’s OHV program directs riders to regulations, registration, safety recommendations, where to ride, ambassadors and responsible riding guidance, and its regional trailhead pages organize access points by area, including Southwest Arizona. That framework is what makes the River Island staging area useful beyond the ribbon-cutting: it gives Parker Strip riders a clearer way to enter legally, stage vehicles and trailers, and connect with a designated trail network instead of creating informal roadside pullouts or uncertain access routes along State Route 95.

For Parker residents, businesses and seasonal visitors, the new trailhead is less about scenery than control. It concentrates OHV traffic at a state-managed point near River Island and Buckskin Mountain, where riders can line up trips into western Arizona with clearer access, clearer route information and a more organized fit with the rest of the river parks.