Welcome to Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu is a popular destination with easy reach of both Southern California and Arizona. It was made famous in 1963 when industrialist Robert P. McCulloch purchased the legendary London Bridge and had it shipped brick by brick to here. This bridge was orginally built in 1831 to cross the Thames River but closed in 1962 when it began to sink into the river. London Bridge was completed and reopened Oct. 10, 1971, which is commemorated by an annual 10 day festival every year. Nearby is the picturesque English Village.

Over 400 miles of lakeshore and lots of room for fishing, boating and other watersports. Other opportunities include lake and desert tours, golfing, tennis, parasailing, fishing tournaments, boat regattas, jet-ski races, etc.

The 45-mile long lake was created on the Colorado River in 1938 by Parker Dam.

This location includes several historical attractions and museums.

Local Recreation

Fishing - Lake Havasu has excellent fishing for stripped and large-mouth bass, bluegill and crappie.

Watersports - The long open stretches of Lake Havasu is an ideal spot for national boating, sailing, water-skiing and jet-ski watercraft championships.

• Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge
  60911 Hwy 95, Parker, AZ 85344; 667-4144;
  6,000 acres cover a 9-mile corridor of river at the confluence of the Bill Williams and Colorado Rivers. Named for 19th-century trapper-explorer. Home to beavers, bobcats, foxes, muskrats, mule deer, bighorn sheep, rabbits, raccoon and 275 species of bird. Limited fishing and hunting. No Camping.

• Cattail Cove State Park
  14 miles south of Lake Havasu City; 855-1223
  Watersports, hicking, camping available. Named for numerous cattails found in park's cove.

• Havasu National Wildlife Refuge 326-3853
  Two separate units covering Topock Gorge and Topock Marsh near the Colorado River. 37,515-acre refuge for some of the rarest bird species in North America including the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and Yuma Clapper Rail. Other wildlife includes beaver and bighorn sheep. Hunting, boating, camping and fishing permitted with some restrictions.

• Lake Havasu State Park 855-2784
  Located on river shoreline near London Bridge.