A word on boating safety: It’s your responsibility to ensure that everyone returns safely and without incident.

If you are a boat operator and you are uncertain about a boating related rule or regulation, please look over the AZ Watercraft Rules & Regulations prior to launching your boat or PWC.

Water levels fluctuate, some days sandbars are exposed, some days they are not. Water releases from Parker Dam dictate the water levels, it takes approximately 2 days for the daily release (metered) to effect us down here. Here is a link to Lower Colorado River Operations Schedule which lists the daily releases.

Boating on the Lower Colorado River

Be it cruising up and down the Colorado River or simply kickin’ it on a sandbar with your friends, the Lower Colorado River is the place to be for watersports and socializing.

Please note that there are unrestricted, restricted, and closed waters within the CA and AZ banks. While California does not have an official buoy program like Arizona does, violators can still be ticketed by Imperial County and or Yuma County Sheriffs. Read more about Refuge locations and official rules at the US Fish and Wildlife Services website.

Unrestricted Waterways:
Senator Wash (back lake below Senator Wash Reservoir)
Un-buoyed main river channel
Martinez Lake
Ferguson Lake

Restricted Waterways:
Ferguson and Martinez refuges/closed areas
All backwaters no wake (unless listed in unrestricted waterways)
Hidden Shores Area
Lower California channel
Aanikegamaa Lake (Formerly Squaw Lake)
The channel connecting Aanikegamaa Lake to Senator Wash
Upper California channel
Buoyed main river channel (no skiing or towables)

Closed Year-Round:
Wildlife refuge in back half of Meers Point channel and the feeder off the main river channel. FWS “The ponds and inlets in and around the refuge headquarters are closed as they play an important role in research conducted on native fish populations, including the razorback sucker and the bonytail chub”.