Famed off-grid Arizona saloon closes for the first time in four decades because of flooding

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in A remote Arizona saloon famous for running entirely off the grid was forced to shut down Sunday after heavy storms washed out the only access road leading to the venue, marking its first weather-related closure in 43 years. The Nellie E Saloon, widely known as the Desert Bar, sits in a secluded canyon north of Parker, a small Arizona town, on a former mining site. The cash-only bar operates entirely on solar power and opens only on weekends from October through April. Reaching the site requires driving five miles down a single dirt road. Sunday’s shutdown marked the establishment's first weather-related closure in its 43-year history. Torrential rainfall following an October 11 Flash Flood Warning from the National Weather Service turned that dirt trail into an impassable waterway, leaving management with no safe way to transport staff or patrons. “Yesterday it was beautiful there,” visitor Tracy Cromelin told FOX 10 Phoenix . “What a difference a day makes!” A remote saloon north of Parker, Arizona, famous for running entirely off the grid, was forced to close Sunday for the first time in 43 years after heavy storms washed out its sole access road ( Facebook/Desert Bar ) Manager Stephanie Rangoussis confirmed the decision Sunday morning to keep both the bar and the accompanying Dusty Boot Cookhouse closed, saying that safety remains the primary concern. She urged visitors to stay safe and said the venue would reopen next weekend. Travelers arriving via Highway 95 encountered severe washouts along the entrance road. Eyewitness Mark Carney recorded video of the flooding, describing the dirt trail as a literal river with areas that were “seriously sketchy” to navigate, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. The unexpected closure disrupted travel plans for visitors who had traveled long distances specifically to visit the remote establishment. Tonya Dirks told the local Phoenix station that her group had driven in from South Dakota and only had Sunday to visit. Stacy Renfroe, visiting from Texas, said that her group departs Friday, meaning they would miss the scheduled reopening. The venue’s history dates back to 1975, when founder Ken Murphy acquired the land — where nothing remained of the former copper mining camp — along with a liquor license from a former business on leased river land, according to Lake Havasu City Real Estate . The bar takes its name, Nellie E, from the original mining claim on the property. Murphy launched the business in 1983 out of a temporary three-sided structure, initially hauling water in a 50-gallon truck tank before purchasing an old fire truck for water transport. The permanent saloon was completed in 1988, featuring unique interior details including brass countertops, stamped tin ceilings sourced from a Missouri factory, custom steel bar stools that sway side to side, and windows made from old glass refrigerator doors. Over the decades, the complex expanded off the grid to include a solid steel church constructed in 1996 for weddings, an outdoor bar, a horseshoe pit and passive cooling towers. In 1997, a solar-powered well was drilled 360 feet deep on the north side of the saloon to supply the property’s water, replacing the need to haul water by truck.