Lake Havasu City

The Bridge and the Island London Bridge carries traffic, cyclists and pedestrians 930 feet across the Bridgewater Channel, a cut dredged under it after it was rebuilt. The channel turned Pittsburgh Point, then a peninsula, into an island, and it links the main lake with Thompson Bay. The bridge was rededicated on October 10, 1971. The local visitor bureau, Go Lake Havasu, calls it the most-visited built attraction in Arizona; walking across is free. Hundreds of bats and thousands of swallows live in it. McCulloch Properties also built the English Village, an open-air mall just north of the bridge.

On the Water Lake Havasu is the reason most people come. Arizona State Parks runs two parks on the eastern shore. Lake Havasu State Park, on London Bridge Road about two miles from the bridge, has three boat ramps, beaches, campsites, beachside cabins and the 1.75-mile Mohave Sunset Trail. Cattail Cove State Park, 15 miles south on Highway 95, has two sand beaches, a boat ramp, 139 campsites and boat-in sites along the shore. The state parks list largemouth and striped bass, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill and crappie among the catch. There are no lifeguards at Lake Havasu State Park's beaches, and the park warns that open-water temperatures can be much colder than the shallows.

Two Wildlife Refuges Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge, about 17 miles south on Highway 95, has a free visitor center, short trails, fishing piers and a non-motorized boat launch where the Bill Williams River meets the lake. North of the city, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge covers 30 river miles up to Needles, California, including the 20-mile Topock Gorge.

The Year in Lake Havasu City March to September are the main boating months, and spring break brings university students, though the city has stopped issuing permits to the big party organizers. In winter the population is swelled by retirees from colder parts of the US and Canada. Winterfest fills McCulloch Boulevard, usually on the second weekend of February, and the city also hosts the Havasu Balloon Festival & Fair, boat regattas and jet-ski races. Check Go Lake Havasu for current dates.

The heat is real. Temperatures can pass 100°F from April to October, routinely reach 110°F in summer, and Arizona's state record, 128°F, was set here on June 29, 1994. Summer nights in July and August usually stay between 80°F and 90°F. Winter days are mostly in the 60s and 70s, and the city averages only 4.16 inches of rain a year.

Getting There Arizona State Route 95 is the only road access. It meets Interstate 40 19 miles north of the city and Interstate 10 74 miles to the south. Kingman is about 64 road miles north and Phoenix about 200, roughly an hour and 15 minutes and just under four hours by car. Lake Havasu City Airport, six miles north of the business district, is a general aviation field; a commercial shuttle runs to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, and the city runs a local bus service.