Lake Havasu City Travel Guide: London Bridge, Lighthouses & Things to Do
What in the world is the London Bridge doing in the middle of the Arizona desert?
That was one of the big reasons we wanted to visit Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
We were spending the winter in Quartzsite and made the roughly hour-and-a-half drive north to Lake Havasu City more than once. The drive itself was beautiful, with mountain scenery and views of the Colorado River along the way.
Of course, our main objective was seeing the famous London Bridge.
But once we got there, we discovered there was quite a bit more to Lake Havasu than one transplanted English landmark.
We walked along the waterfront, explored both sides of the channel, found miniature replicas of famous American lighthouses, visited a dog park that General absolutely loved and stopped at some beautiful natural areas on the drive back toward Quartzsite.
Here’s what we discovered.
Why Visit Lake Havasu City?
Lake Havasu City is an unusual place.
The brilliant blue water is surrounded by an Arizona desert landscape, and right in the middle of everything sits an actual bridge from London.
Then you add English-inspired buildings and miniature lighthouses to the mix.
It’s certainly not something you see every day.
Lake Havasu itself is a reservoir associated with the Colorado River, but standing along the waterfront, it feels very much like a lake community.
The bright blue water against the surrounding desert and mountains was beautiful.
We didn’t camp in Lake Havasu City. We visited while we were staying in Quartzsite and treated it as a day trip.
It worked very well for that.
The London Bridge in Arizona
The London Bridge was the attraction we most wanted to see.
And yes, it really did come from London.
During our visit, we learned the story of Robert McCulloch, the businessman who was developing Lake Havasu City and wanted something that would attract attention to his new community.
In 1968, he purchased the London Bridge for approximately $2.5 million.
The bridge was brought to Arizona and reconstructed at Lake Havasu City.
It’s one of those stories that sounds completely ridiculous until you’re standing there looking at it.
Someone developing a city in the Arizona desert decided he needed an attraction.
So he bought a bridge from London.
And somehow, it worked.
The Bridge Crosses the Channel
One of the things we hadn’t fully appreciated before visiting was the setting around the bridge.
The London Bridge crosses a channel separating the mainland portion of Lake Havasu City from an island.
Walking paths run along both sides of the channel.
On one visit, we walked along the mainland side.
When we returned another day, we crossed the bridge and walked along the island side.
That gave us two completely different perspectives of the bridge and waterfront.
If you have the time, we’d recommend exploring both.
Walking the Lake Havasu Waterfront
The waterfront was probably our favorite part of Lake Havasu City beyond the bridge itself.
The water was incredibly clear.
There were ducks everywhere.
And naturally, General thought the entire place had been designed for him.
He loved walking along the water and getting his feet wet.
The paths made it easy to slow down and enjoy the scenery rather than simply driving to the bridge, taking a picture and leaving.
If you visit Lake Havasu primarily to see the London Bridge, give yourself enough time to walk around afterward.
There’s more to see than the bridge.
Exploring the English Village
Near the bridge was an English-themed commercial area with buildings designed to complement the London connection.
We saw Tudor and Elizabethan-inspired architecture, a pretty fountain and even lion figures guarding part of the area.
Is it an authentic English village?
Of course not.
You’re still in Arizona.
But that’s part of the fun.
The whole setting is so unexpected that you almost have to appreciate the determination it took to create it.
Lake Havasu’s Miniature Lighthouses
Then Lake Havasu got even stranger.
It has lighthouses.
Not full-sized working coastal lighthouses, obviously, but small replicas inspired by well-known lighthouses from around the United States.
A gentleman we met while exploring told us that the replicas inspired by East Coast lighthouses were located on one side of the lake, while West Coast lighthouse replicas were on the other.
Being from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, one particular lighthouse immediately caught our attention.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse!
There we were in Arizona, thousands of miles from home, looking at a little version of a lighthouse from our old neck of the woods.
Of course we had to check it out.
We later drove across the London Bridge to the island side so we could look for some of the other lighthouse replicas too.
The lighthouse collection turned out to be one of those quirky attractions that made Lake Havasu much more interesting than we expected.
A Dog-Friendly Stop for General
Our second visit included something just for General.
There was a nice dog park on the island side of the channel.
And this dog park had something General considered absolutely brilliant:
A fire hydrant that sprayed water.
He had a blast.
General has always loved water, so between walking along the channel and playing with the spraying hydrant, Lake Havasu received his personal seal of approval.
He also had a wonderful time playing with another dog at the park.
For us, finding places where General could get out and enjoy himself was always an important part of travel days.
Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
On our way back toward Quartzsite, we made a quick stop near the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge.
The landscape here was completely different from what we’d just seen around the developed waterfront.
The Bill Williams River flows toward Lake Havasu, and the scenery fascinated us.
Mountains seemed to come right down toward marshy areas along the river.
It was this unusual combination of desert mountains, wetlands and water.
We didn’t spend a tremendous amount of time there on this particular trip, but even our quick stop was worthwhile.
It was another reminder of just how varied Arizona’s landscape can be.
Exploring the Southern End of Lake Havasu
We also saw some beautiful scenery around the southern end of Lake Havasu, closer to the Parker Dam area.
This is where having a vehicle and treating Lake Havasu as part of a larger day trip really paid off for us.
Instead of visiting only downtown Lake Havasu City and the London Bridge, we got to see more of the surrounding Colorado River landscape.
The farther we traveled, the more we understood that the water itself was every bit as much an attraction as the bridge.
Lake Havasu Made a Great Day Trip From Quartzsite
We were wintering in Quartzsite rather than staying in Lake Havasu City itself.
For us, that worked perfectly.
The drive took roughly an hour and a half at the time, and the scenery along the way made the drive enjoyable.
We actually needed to make the trip for some practical reasons too.
After our tire adventures in Wyoming, the truck needed a couple of new tires.
Our phone screens were also badly damaged, so we took care of those while we were in the city.
That’s one advantage of visiting a larger community while you’re spending time in a smaller place like Quartzsite.
We could combine sightseeing with errands we needed to accomplish anyway.
Things We Enjoyed Most in Lake Havasu City
If you’re planning your own visit, the things that stood out most from our trip were:
- Seeing the real London Bridge
- Walking along both sides of the channel
- Exploring the English-themed area
- Looking for miniature lighthouse replicas
- Enjoying the bright blue water
- Watching the ducks along the waterfront
- Taking General to the dog park
- Driving across the bridge to the island
- Visiting the Bill Williams River area
- Exploring toward Parker Dam
- Enjoying the mountain and Colorado River scenery on the drive
You could certainly make a quick stop just to photograph the bridge.
But we’d give yourself more time.
We were glad we did.
Tips From Our Visit
If we were planning another Lake Havasu day trip, we’d once again make the waterfront the center of the visit.
Wear comfortable shoes because the walking paths are part of what made the area enjoyable for us.
Don’t stop after seeing the bridge from one side. Drive across it and explore the island side too.
Keep an eye out for the lighthouse replicas scattered around the area.
And if you’re traveling with a dog, look for opportunities to give your four-legged traveler some recreation time too.
As always, check current conditions, park rules, pet regulations and operating information before your trip. What was available during our visit may have changed.
Is Lake Havasu City Worth Visiting?
We thought so.
We originally went because we wanted to see the London Bridge.
That alone was worth seeing simply because the story is so bizarre.
But Lake Havasu City surprised us.
The waterfront was prettier than we expected.
We enjoyed the walking paths.
The lighthouse replicas were fun to find.
General had a wonderful time.
And the surrounding Colorado River landscape gave us plenty to see beyond town.
There’s something delightfully odd about standing beside a historic London landmark surrounded by blue water, palm trees, mountains and Arizona desert.
It shouldn’t really make sense.
Somehow, it does.
If you’re wintering in Quartzsite or traveling through western Arizona, Lake Havasu City makes a fun day trip and gives you far more to explore than just its famous bridge.
And we’ll see you down the road…and Over the Hills!
Continue the Journey
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