Lake Havasu City is in western Arizona along the Colorado River on the border with California. It has a population of around 60,000 and it known for its water sports on the lake and river and the infamous London Bridge which was relocated from England in 1968.
The lake has about 400 miles of shoreline with more lighthouses than any other city in the country. There are 28 scaled down lighthouse replicas scattered around the shores of the lake. Many are accessible by hiking but many are only accessible by boat. We haven’t seen all of them yet but we are trying. Each one has a placard denoting which lighthouse they represent and the ones of the west side of the lake are replicas of famous West Coast lighthouses, the ones on the east side of the lake are replicas of famous East Coast lighthouses, and the one around the island are replicas of the Great Lakes lighthouses.
Lake Havasu Visitor Center
The Visitor Center is located near the London Bridge and offers a gift shop and tourist information along with artifacts from England. It is a great place to visit if only to enjoy the fountain and the phone booth.
Havasu Landing Ferry
Across the lake from Lake Havasu City, in California, is Havasu Landing Resort and Casino along with a few stores and restaurants. There is a ferry that runs all day long between the two locations and is about a 15 minute journey across the lake. My husband says the best breakfast burrito he has ever had was from The Sail Inn at Havasu Landing. You can pay and board along the channel at Lake Havasu City to cross the lake and visit the other side!! It is a fun day outing.
London Bridge
The London Bridge was transported from England in 1968 and reconstructed and now sits prominently along the river channel. It connects the mainland Lake Havasu City to The Island with the Bridgewater Channel running beneath it. Many shops and restaurants and boat rental businesses are located around the bridge area called The English Village. It is the hub of the city.
Bridgewater Channel
The channel is man-made, no-wake navigable waterway which connects two sections of the lake and bordered by sandy beaches along with a host of amenities such as shops and restaurants. It is a great place for boat parades, strolling, kayaking, paddle boarding, or just stopping with your boat and enjoying the beach.
Rotary Community Park
The park is a 40 acre beach park at the end of the channel along the lake. It has a swimming area, playgrounds, and a volleyball area and a skate park. It is accessible by either boat or car.
Witches Paddle
The annual Witches Paddle is held around Halloween along the Bridgewater Channel. The event is coordinated by the Paddle Boarding Club of Lake Havasu City and presented by Southwest Outfitters. It was quite spooktacular. The area was filled with witches and warlocks and bystanders enjoying the scene. A police boat patrolled around the London Bridge to ensure non-witches in their boats didn’t invade the area. It was fun to see all the different outfits and crazy shenanigans.
We saw quite a few varied costumes and themes. Maybe we are in some of the photos?
Island Trail
The London Bridge connects to The Island which has resorts, homes, RV sites, restaurants, and the Island Trail. The trail is a 3.6 mile paved loop around the interior of the island.
It is mostly flat and if you are a biker you are supposed to travel clockwise and hikers/walkers travel counterclockwise. It has lots of lake views and plenty of areas to stop and see the lighthouses.
There are 12 lighthouses on the island but we are stopped at a few of them. The road in to the lighthouses in unpaved and our small, miniature bikes struggled to get over the rocks. We need our fat tires for those roads!
The Roadrunner
We stopped at the Point Gratoit Lighthouse replica which is located on the south shore of Lake Erie in Dunkirk, New York. We were quickly greeted by a visitor which would not leave us alone. It was a roadrunner which seemed very interested in us potentially having some food. Someone has been feeding him. Anyway, roadrunners are usually very skiddish but not this one. He even chased me to my bicycle when we tried to leave.
Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
There is a stretch of the Colorado River spanning from Needles, California to Lake Havasu City, Arizona which is a National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is a habitat for desert bighorn sheep, southwestern willow flycatcher, and many other animals. Within the refuge, about twenty miles of river run through the Topock Gorge which is a mountainous canyon and gorge. It is a gorgeous gorge. One popular place is Castle Rock which is home to not only a rock that resembles a castle but also a vortex. It is a popular spot for launching kayaks/paddle boards and paddling south with the current to Mesquite Bay (4 miles).
Crystal Beach
Crystal Beach is a small community near Castle Rock and home to about 250 people. It has tremendous views of the river and over to the mountains in California.
SARA Park
SARA is the Special Activities Recreation Area and is an 1,100 acre park with hiking trails, mountain bike trails, dog park, BMX and Motocross track, rodeo grounds, baseball/softball fields, a speedway, shooting and archery range, remote aircraft flying field, in-line skating hockey field, and lots of events. Basically it has just about everything along with spectacular views and access to the mountains and lake. We enjoy hiking in this area and one of the most popular hikes is “The Crack”. We hiked it before many years ago and requires either sliding down a rope or climbing up a rope when you get to the Crack depending on which direction you are hiking it.
Balanced Rock Cove
The trail leads to a lovely cove on the lake with a balanced rock on it. It was a perfect place to stop and rest for a picnic lunch. We ran across a snake in the trail but quickly discovered it was dead but my husband had to move off the trail before I would venture any further.
The way back is through some slot canyons and which are always fun to hike through (when it isn’t raining).
And eventually the trail leads to a big wash and on up to Heart Attack Hill. You really have to love that name!
We made it back safely and it wasn’t long before it was time to head home. We hooked up and headed south back over the Bill Williams River, through the Parker Strip, and further afield to Bouse.
Bouse
Bouse was founded in 1908 as a mining camp and is considered a ghost town but there are people living there, some tourism, and a few shops/gas stations. It was the former site of Camp Bouse World War II Army tank training camp. There is a nice rest stop where there are a few remnants of past life.
Hope, Arizona
We love the names of the towns in that area including both Hope and Love. The best part after leaving Hope is the sign….You’re Now Beyond Hope. Yes we are!!
Wickenburg
Next up was Wickenburg which is a small town of about 7,500 people and is known for the Vulture Mine and the discovery of gold and silver in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. It became the most productive gold mine in Arizona history.
It wasn’t long before we were home. And that’s a wrap. We have no more plans for quite awhile. We intend to stay home for a bit and celebrate the holidays with friends and family. Until we meet again.
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