We decided to visit the Nellie E Saloon on a Friday, even though we knew it would be closed because it seemed like it could be interesting to check out the structures and general area. It’s only about a five mile drive on a dirt road, but the road is really rough (much rougher than the road to Swansea), so the trip took a while even in my 4x4 truck. Having said that we saw a minivan driving on the same road, so it’s theoretically passable by car - though maybe not a super comfortable ride. When we got to the site of the bar the road was barricaded with a very serious no trespassing sign so we looked longingly at what we could see of the structures over the crest of the hill and then turned around to do the bumpy return drive back to the Hwy.

Here are the things to know about Nellie E Saloon: The saloon is in the Buckskin Mountains just north of Parker Arizona. The land used to be an old mining camp - and even though the camp didn’t survive, the land did come with a liquor license so the current owner decided to give the ”bar in the desert” idea a try and originally opened it in a temporary structure in 1983 until building the current saloon five years later.

Water was originally hauled to the bar in a 50-gallon tank loaded on the back of the owner’s truck - later an old fire truck was used. In 1989, a well was finally drilled that now operates on solar power. The “Nellie E” saloon was completed in 1988. Then the next project was a covered walk bridge in 1991, and the church was started in 1993, and completed in 1996. The church is made of solid steel and the walls and ceiling are made of the same stamped tin used inside the bar and the roof is made of copper. The church is used for weddings and photo shoots, but does not have regular services. The owner, Ken, lives in a house across from the parking lot.

The “Nellie E Saloon” is located 5 miles off the Cienega Springs Rd exit on Hwy-95, approximately 5 miles north of Parker, Arizona. It is open October thru April, Saturdays and Sundays only, from noon till 6:00 pm Arizona time. The bar is closed during the hotter summer months.