How a chunk of the Colorado River became an 1831 London bridge’s final home

The bridge, the water, and what’s beneath it all

Lake Havasu City sits on the shore of a desert reservoir stretching 45 miles along the Arizona-California border, and the lake’s name comes from a Mojave word for blue.

That tracks. The water here runs a deep, vivid blue-green against red rock walls and dry sand. But the water isn’t what most people come for first.

They come because someone moved an 1831 London bridge, stone by stone, through the Panama Canal and into the Arizona desert.

What they find when they get here is that the bridge is just the beginning.

How a sinking bridge crossed an ocean and landed in the desert

By the 1960s, the original London Bridge was slowly sinking under the weight of modern traffic. London needed a new one.

Entrepreneur Robert McCulloch, who had founded Lake Havasu City in 1963, bought it for $2,460,000 in 1968.

Workers numbered every granite stone, shipped them through the Panama Canal to Long Beach, California, then trucked them into the desert.

A new concrete structure went up first, and the original stones went over it as a facade. The bridge reopened on Oct. 10, 1971.

It spans 930 feet across the Bridgewater Channel.

Walking across the bridge bats and swallows call home

The London Bridge carries both cars and foot traffic, connecting the mainland to an island. Ornate lampposts line the railings, said to have been cast from cannons captured after the Battle of Waterloo.

Walk it slowly. Bats and swallows nest in the cracks and ledges of the original granite stones, and at dusk the activity picks up fast.

The bridge ranks among Arizona’s most visited constructed attractions, but it doesn’t feel like a tourist trap.

It feels like a piece of something old dropped into somewhere unexpected.

Shops, gates, and a waterway built for paddling

At the foot of the bridge, the English Village lines the Bridgewater Channel with shops, restaurants, and the city’s visitor center, all styled after a British shopping district.

The entrance gate came directly from Witley Court in Worcester, England.

Below the bridge, the Bridgewater Channel draws kayakers, paddleboarders, and passengers on boat cruises cutting through the water in both directions.

London Bridge Beach runs along the channel, giving you easy access to the waterfront without a long walk from the parking lot.

28 working lighthouses the Coast Guard actually approved

In 2000, a group called the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club started building scaled-down replicas of real lighthouses along the shoreline.

They now have 28 of them, and every single one functions as a navigational aid approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.

West Coast replicas sit on the lake’s west side, East Coast replicas on the east, and Great Lakes versions cluster around the island.

Some you can reach on foot or by car. Others require a boat. When you’re out on the water and one comes into view, it takes a second to make sense of it.

Squeeze through a slot canyon and come out at the lakeshore

SARA Park covers 1,100 acres just outside the city with mountain views and lake access at the far end.

The trail most people come for runs through a slot canyon locals call The Crack. In places it narrows to arm’s width, the rock walls pressing close on both sides as you duck through dry falls and push forward.

It opens at Balance Rock Cove on the lakeshore, where desert bighorn sheep work the hillsides. Trails cover a range from easy to moderate and stay open for hiking, mountain biking, and trail running.

Paddle 20 miles of river canyon with petroglyphs on the walls

Topock Gorge runs 20 miles through the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge.

One of the last sections of the lower Colorado River left in anything close to its natural state. Kayakers and canoeists move through towering rock cliffs rising straight from clear blue water.

About halfway through, you can pull up at Picture Rock and walk up to see Native American petroglyphs carved into the canyon walls.

Desert bighorn sheep pick their way along the cliffs above. Bobcats and beavers show up regularly down at the waterline.

Thousands of ducks, geese, and 318 bird species in one refuge

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge in 1941 by executive order.

It protects 30 river miles and 300 miles of shoreline. Wildlife managers have documented 318 bird species here.

Inside the refuge, Topock Marsh covers 4,000 acres of shallow water and shelters thousands of geese and ducks through the winter months.

If you want a closer look, rangers lead guided tours monthly from November through April. The marsh sits within paddling distance of the gorge, so you can do both in a day.

White sand beaches, 54 campsites, and hidden coves by boat

Lake Havasu State Park runs along the waterfront with white sand beaches, three boat ramps, 54 campsites, and 13 beachside cabins you can reserve in advance.

The Mohave Sunset Trail winds 1.75 miles through lowland desert and along the shore. Out on the water, a string of hidden coves and beaches wait at the end of short boat rides.

On the north end of town, Rotary Community Park serves as the city’s largest public waterfront, with picnic areas, volleyball courts, a playground, and a skate park.

Sight-fish for bass in water clear enough to see the bottom

The lake holds largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, striped bass, channel and flathead catfish, crappie, and redear sunfish across 19,000 acres of clear water.

Spring fishing, from March through May, draws anglers who can actually see bass on their beds in the shallows. The fish come back again in October and November.

Tournaments run throughout the season, and the lake draws about a million visitors a year for fishing, boating, and watersports combined.

If you go in spring, get out early and bring polarized glasses.

Dirt trails, dunes, balloons, and a quiet no-wake river refuge

Off-road trails fan out through desert washes, old mines, and dunes in every direction from the edge of town.

Cattail Cove State Park, south of the city, runs quieter hiking trails along the lake with the Whipple Mountains of California visible across the water.

Southeast of the lake, the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge keeps a no-wake zone in place for paddlers moving through riparian habitat thick with cottonwoods and willows.

Hot air balloon rides over the lake and desert go up through local outfitters when conditions allow.

The annual events that fill the lake and light up the bridge

The IJSBA World Finals brings the top personal watercraft racers on the planet to Lake Havasu to compete on the water.

The Havasu Balloon Festival and Fair holds a designation as one of the top 100 events in North America.

From November through December, more than 500,000 lights go up around the London Bridge area for the Festival of Lights.

The Relics and Rods Run to the Sun pulls in more than 800 vehicles and ranks among the largest car shows in the Southwest. The London Bridge Days Parade has run longer than any other community celebration in the city.

Visit Lake Havasu State Park in Lake Havasu City, Arizona

You can base your whole trip around Lake Havasu State Park, which puts you right on the water within easy reach of the bridge, the channel, and the trails.

The park sits at 699 London Bridge Road in Lake Havasu City. It stays open 24 hours and has campsites, beachside cabins, boat ramps, and a 1.75-mile shoreline trail.

Check the official website for current cabin rates, camping fees, and reservation availability before you go, especially if you’re planning a spring or fall visit when sites fill fast.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Arizona warns federal water plan could cost trillions
• Tucson’s favorite hill hides 4,000 years of history under every step
• Lake Powell is approaching dead pool status as water levels plummet