A remote Arizona saloon known for operating entirely off the grid was forced to close on Sunday after heavy storms washed out the only access road, marking its first weather‑related shutdown in 43 years.
The Nellie E Saloon, also called the Desert Bar, sits in a secluded canyon north of Parker on a former mining site. The cash‑only venue runs on solar power and opens only on weekends from October through April. Guests reach it by driving five miles down a single dirt road.
Torrential rainfall following an October 11 flash‑flood warning turned the dirt trail into an impassable waterway. Manager Stephanie Rangoussis announced the closure in the morning, citing safety as the priority and promising a reopening next weekend. A visitor, Tracy Cromelin, told FOX 10 Phoenix, “Yesterday it was beautiful there, what a difference a day makes!” Travelers from South Dakota and Texas were disappointed, having planned to visit only on Sunday or the following Friday.
The bar opened in 1983 after founder Ken Murphy acquired the land in 1975, originally a copper mining camp. The permanent structure was finished in 1988 and features brass countertops, stamped tin ceilings, custom steel bar stools, and windows made from old refrigerator doors. The complex later added a steel church for weddings, an outdoor bar, a horseshoe pit, and passive cooling towers, and in 1997 a 360‑foot solar‑powered well was drilled to supply water.
