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The Desert Bar
Parker,
Arizona
(LaPaz County)
Last Updated:
05/25/2023
Trail Information
Highlights
Leave it to Arizona to have what could easily be the coolest desert destination in the U.S. The Desert Bar, aka "Nellie E Saloon," is just what it sounds like, a bar in the middle of the desert. But this isn't any old bar.
In 1975, Ken, a self-described hippy and societal dropout, bought an old mining claim with a few dilapidated buildings. He soon noticed numerous ATVs and Jeeps driving past on weekends. Acquiring a liquor license from a defunct local establishment, Ken began selling beer from a small three-walled trailside shack out of a cooler. Being an industrious hippy, Ken began building outlandish structures on the old mine claim, including a church. Solar power and batteries replaced the ice cooler, and the rest, as they say, is history. Today the mining claim looks a lot like Thunderdome from the Mad Max movies and draws huge weekend crowds. There's usually a band, food, and various libations. And it is still completely off-grid.
The surrounding desert boasts great wheeling and rock crawling. And then there's this totally crazy place to kick back and enjoy. Who offroader could ask for more?
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