Discover Lake Havasu City, Arizona
The sunny desert town of Lake Havasu City offers RVers a welcome respite from the winter weather up north. Located 150 miles south of Las Vegas, Lake Havasu City is a stone’s throw away from the Nevada border. The destination offers something for everyone. Centrally located and a popular choice with RVers year round is Lake Havasu State Park, set along the shores of picturesque Lake Havasu. The lake, which is actually a reservoir, was created when Palmer Dam was constructed on the Colorado River in the 1930s. The reservoir created nearly 450 miles of shoreline.
Pet-friendly Lake Havasu State Park features 47 sites with numerous amenities. The park offers full-hookup sites, restrooms, showers, a dump station, and three boat ramps. There’s also fishing opportunities, a fabulous beach, and recreational trails.
The Mohave Sunset Trail is a favorite place for a stroll any time of day. This 1.75-mile trail follows the shoreline and meanders through the lowland desert area. Another favorite is Arroyo-Camino Interpretive Garden. Visitors are greeted by local wildlife that includes lizards, various birds, and desert cottontails, among others.
Lake Havsu City Area Golf Courses
Less than five miles from Lake Havasu State Park is the city’s first golf course complex, Lake Havasu Golf Club, featuring two golf courses. The West Course was built by city founder Robert P. McCullough, Sr., who also developed McCullough chain saws. The front nine opened in 1967 and the back nine was completed two years later. The par-71 West Course offers numerous bunkers and water features throughout, and stretches to 6,466 yards.
A few years later the second course was constructed. The East Course is slightly shorter at 6,140 yards, but the numerous narrow fairways make for a challenging round of golf. The 18-hole par 72 course offers plenty of elevation changes, along with challenging bunkers and water on several holes. After a round of golf, stop in at the Lakeview Grill which lives up to its name. And the food’s not bad, either.
Arizona’s ‘Other’ Popular Attraction
In addition to developing Lake Havasu City’s first golf courses, city founder Robert McCullough ingeniously purchased the famous London Bridge. After London, England, officials decided that the bridge was sinking into the River Thames, they put it up for sale in 1967. McCullough purchased the bridge for $2.4 million (about $22 million in today’s dollars). It was disassembled it block-by-block and shipped to Lake Havasu, where it was reassembled.
Today, the 930-foot bridge is the second-largest tourist draw in Arizona, behind only the Grand Canyon. Visitors can tour the bridge.
A USS Arizona artifact recently was acquired by the Lake Havasu City Marine Corps League and the city. This twisted steel relic (about 4-by-6 feet and weighing roughly 500 pounds) will soon be on display in town. The USS Arizona was one of 18 ships to sink during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. A total of 1,177 sailors and marines perished on board the ship. The USS Arizona Relics Program allows the Navy to authorize pieces of the wreckage be moved to educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations across the country.
Fish On!
If you enjoy fishing, Lake Havasu is the place to be. City officials say that the area consistently ranks as one of the top bass-fishing destinations in the nation. The waters offer anglers great opportunities to catch stripers, redear sunfish, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and other fish species. Several fishing guides, fishing docks, and piers, are available in the area for would-be anglers.
Lake Havasu City has plenty to offer visitors any time of year. To begin planning your trip, start by using the RV LIFE Trip Wizard and then checking out the comprehensive city visitors’ website at Go Lake Havasu.
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