Parker Dam

The world's deepest dam lies about 17 miles upriver from its namesake, the town of Parker. The dam forms the reservoir of Lake Havasu, which is 45 miles long. During construction, workers had to dig down 235 feet through the sand and gravel of the riverbed before hitting the bedrock needed to secure the foundation. Today, only the top third of the dam is visible. Lake Havasu, the reservoir behind the dam, has a storage capacity of 211 billion gallons.

View the world’s deepest dam from a scenic point on either the Arizona or California side of the beautiful Colorado River. You can park at both ends of the dam. However, security concerns after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have forced the closure of the power plant’s self-guided tour. There's a boat launch at Take-off Point near the dam on the Arizona side.

Water is pumped from the reservoir into the Colorado River Aqueduct, which can provide up to one billion gallons of water a day to Southern California cities. Water is also pumped into the Central Arizona Project, providing water to Arizona cities, farms, ranches, and Arizona Native American communities. Parker Dam is the deepest dam in the world at 320 feet and was once one of the most visited power plants along the Colorado River system.

The Bureau of Reclamation built the dam between 1934 and 1938, and two thirds of its depth is below the riverbed. The dam’s builders aimed to drill deep into the earth to find bedrock to ensure the dam’s stability. Parker Dam is operated with Hoover and Davis Dams to bring water and power benefits to residents of the Lower Colorado River Basin.

The power plant is operated and managed by Reclamation. The Department of Energy, through the Western Area Power Administration, markets the hydropower produced at the power plant to cities, agricultural users and Native American communities throughout the Southwest. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California reserves about 50% of the plant’s power output for pumping water to the Pacific Coast. Scenic view pullouts are open to the public on both the Arizona and California sides of the dam.

Currently the dam is open to passenger vehicles only, between the hours of 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Security restrictions may close the dam to RVs and trucks, and to all traffic at night. For additional information about Parker Dam please call (760) 663-3712 or the Chamber of Commerce at (928) 669-2174