Arizona

Lighthouses of Lake Havasu

by Ingrid
With each visit to Lake Havasu City, I learn more and more interesting and fun tidbits about the area. During our first trip to this part of western Arizona back in February of 2012, we learned about the history of the London Bridge . You can read more about the bridge here.
London Bridge Lake Havasu
London Bridge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Turns out the land developer, Robert McCulloch, actually thought he had purchased the Tower Bridge and was rather disappointed when the reconstruction of the London Bridge was complete. He wondered where the rest of it was. Where were the towers?
No towers! However, the bridge was reconstructed in Lake Havasu City with one less archway than what was originally used crossing the Thames River in London. The bridge was a tad too long here in Havasu for the span from the island to mainland. Thus, the remaining bricks from one of the archways were stored for safe keeping and are used for necessary repairs, which have been required over the years.
London Bridge Lake Havasu City Arizona
Boating under the London Bridge
If you’re fortunate enough to take a boat ride under the bridge, bullet holes from WWII can be found in the bricks. Imagine, those beautiful stone bricks and the abundance of history they’ve witnessed. And since we’re talking about boating, did you know Lake Havasu City is home to more lighthouses than any other city in the entire country?
lighthouses in Arizona Lake Havasu City

I know, when you think about lighthouses, one would never associate a landlocked desert with lighthouses. However, there are more than twenty-five scaled-down functioning replicas along Lake Havasu’s shores with plans to build even more.

The construction of these lighthouses was originally intended for safety purposes, but have become as much of a landmark as the London Bridge.

The Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, a non-profit group of independent people, wanted to make the lake safer for night boating and fishing. All lighthouses are built and  maintained by the folks at the Lighthouse Club and meet the coast guard’s navigational regulations. So not only do they serve as a unique tourist attraction, they assist in safe water navigation.

East Quoddy Lighthouse Arizona
East Quoddy Lighthouse replica – Lake Havasu City

All the lighthouses on the west side of Lake Havasu are replicas of famous lighthouses on the West Coast. On the east side of the lake are replicas from the East Coast, and the lighthouses around the island are all replicas of lighthouses from the Great Lakes.

Each lighthouse replica costs about $5,000 to build, which includes $1,000 or more just for the beacon. The majority of the labor is done by Lighthouse Club members and other volunteers, and many of the lighthouses are sponsored by families as memorials for their loved ones. Some of the lighthouses can easily be viewed from land while others can be seen only from the water.

Durrituck Beach Lighthouse Lake Havasu City Arizona
A few  lighthouses can be seen during a stroll along the canal in Lake Havasu City – Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Currituck Beach Lighthouse Lake Havasu City Arizona
Each lighthouse replica is adorned with a plaque

One of my personal favorites is the Split Rock Lighthouse. When Al and I lived in the Chicago suburbs, every summer we would pack up our canoe and camping gear and head to northern Minnesota. The stretch of road along the north shores of Lake Superior between Duluth and Grand Marais is a beautiful and scenic drive … a drive I always enjoyed.

Lake Havasu Arizona lighthouses

Both sides of the road feature interesting sights. On the north side of the road, we see waterfalls. The iron ore rich land turns the cascading water into an interesting copper color which rapidly flows over huge rocks and drains into Lake Superior.

Split Rock Lighthouse
Split Rock Lighthouse replica – Lake Havasu City

Glancing to the south side of the road is Lake Superior; the largest of the Great Lakes. A rocky cliff shoreline serves as a reminder that these waters can be dangerous. You won’t find many beaches along Lake Superiors north shore but you will find lighthouses.

Split Rock lighthouse Lake Havasu City ArizonaDuring our many travels through this part of Minnesota, a stop or two to capture a photograph of the Split Rock Lighthouse was always on the agenda.

Somewhere in my storage unit back in Colorado are all my vacation photos from those Minnesota vacations.

I had a great time watching the sunset over Lake Havasu. As I stood next to the Split Rock Lighthouse replica, I couldn’t help but reminisce. Ah yes ….  fond memories indeed. Wherever does the time go?

Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu City is a great destination for a get away year round. Just remember, this is the desert and temperatures in the summer do soar, but fall, winter, and spring are an RVer’s dream. For info on a lighthouse tour, click here.

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68 thoughts on “Lighthouses of Lake Havasu”

  2. Never realized there were that many lighthouses there, guess we need to go back and see some of them. Being from the east coast we’ve done a few of the eastern light houses. Then there’s a good brew pub just over the bridge that I know Dave would love to go back to.

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  3. Pingback: A Sense of Freedom | Live Laugh RV

  6. Nice… we still have to get here. I can not believe how many light houses are there!

    Did I hear you and Al may join Bill in a lighthouse stay on Lake Michigan!!?? 😀😁😊😘

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  7. We have been to that area twice and didn’t even know that lighthouse trail existed. What a cool find. Thanks for all the gorgeous photos. I love looking at any lighthouse. Some of the prettiest ones we have seen have been along the Oregon Coast.

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  8. Lake Havasu City sure has some unexpected charm when one thinks about Arizona. I love lighthouses. What a treat to see so many in one place and to be able to walk, drive or boat to them. You statement that this is an RVers dream in the winter, might mean we have to check it out in February! 🙂

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    1. Havasu is a fun place to hang out. Just be warned, February is a super busy month with snowbirders and March gets even crazier with spring breakers. North and south of town there’s a lot of BLM land for boondocking. We should be in the area ourselves in February. So be sure and give me a shout out.

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  9. What a surprise, I really did not know there are a lot of lighthouses in that area and nicely captured too! When you get back for more be sure to include Sara’s Crack too, you will never know there could be a lighthouse there too 🙂

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  10. I love the Lake Havasu Lighthouses. We get to visit LHC at least once a year. Your photos make me want to hook up the fifth wheel and head on out.

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  11. This post brings back fresh memories for us, the great lakes are a special place for sure. We usually end up going to the Lake Havasu ballon festival in January
    As usual your photos are super sharp and well lit..

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    1. Thanks Tim. Our winter plans are still a little fluid right now, but I’m hoping to make it to LHC for the balloon festival. Glad you’re enjoying your Midwestern sojourn. I totally missed out on any fall colors this year. These darn cactus seem to remain green 😄

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  12. I’m a lighthouse lover and seeing these replicas really made me smile this morning. I love that the Split Rock replica brought back so many fond memories for you. That sunset is gorgeous!

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    1. I’m glad I could make you smile. Wouldn’t it make for a fantastic travel quest to photograph all the replicas and then the real deal? Hubby gave me the look of ‘don’t even think about it’ when I mentioned the idea 😆

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  13. I know I have read several Lake Havasu posts before, but dang, I sure don’t remember hearing about all the neat lighthouses!! What fun! Looks like we definitely need a boat to see these beauties. Have fun, Ingrid 😊

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    1. Almost all of the lighthouse along the rivers east shore can be hiked to. It’s the ones on the California (west) side where one will need a boat. But how fun is that! I learned a lot from our Havasu friends who are members of the Lighthouse Club. If not for them, I’m not sure I would’ve given much thought to these little beauties.

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  14. Whoa, that’s surreal seeing all those replicas! I recognized a few from my travels including your beloved (and very photogenic) Split Rock. The West Quoddy is pretty great too!

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    1. What was funny, a blogging friend shared photos of the real West Quoddy on Facebook at the same time I posted photos of the replica. We shared a chuckle on our timing. Now I’ve got a bug up my **** wanting to visit Fundy Bay. But that’s a looooong drive away from AZ. Hubby quickly put the kibosh on that thought, which after consideration, I must agree 🤔

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      1. Haha, I’ve somehow convinced Tom to go to Newfoundland next year when we leave NM. Anything’s possible! (Also, Fundy Bay is so totally worth it)

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  15. I love the way they did the replicas!! I would imagine seeing the real lighthouse and then the replica at Lake Havasu is pretty neat….a memory maker!! Great pics!! Beautiful sunset!!

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    1. Thanks! When I saw the Split Rock replica, I made it my mission to capture some nice photos of her. I always enjoyed seeing the real deal along the shores of Lake Superiors. Hmm, I may need to plan another Midwestern sojourn. It has been too long!

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    1. Thank you Nina. Although I’m not the lighthouse nutter that you are, I’ve always had an appreciation for their unique beauty and surroundings. We’ll be revisiting Havasu in a couple of months and I plan on photographing as many of the lighthouse replicas as possible. Our friends are members of the Lighthouse Club and a wealth of information. Should be a fun project for me.

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  17. Now that was totally unexpected but what a nifty idea. Having been born & raised in Michigan I have a love of lighthouses & often seek them out in our travels. Who knew that landlocked Arizonia would have any? I must agree with you on Split Rock lighthouse. I think it’s the prettiest one I’ve ever visited, a favorite stopping point for us on our way to fly-in fishing in Canada.

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    1. I’ve always had a fascination with lighthouses and jump at the opportunity to photograph them. Fly-in-fishing in Canada? A dream for my husband. We honeymooned in western Ontario and later frequently visited the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in MN. Walleye and small mouth bass fishing … fish fries accompanied by blueberry pancakes made with blueberries I had just picked. Oh, yum!

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    1. Thanks Donna. For a split second I had thoughts of photographing all the replicas and then traveling to capture all the real ones. One look from hubby, and I’ll settle for photos of the replicas 😄

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  19. We visited Lake Havasu when we were in Arizona a few years ago. Although I knew about the bridge, I am not certain I knew about all of the lighthouses!

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    1. We’ve been to Havasu quite a few times and if it hadn’t been for our friends who are members of the Lighthouse Club, I’m not sure I would’ve thought much of the cuties even though I’ve photographed several before. I had no idea that they actually served as functional navigational lighthouses. On my next visit, I’m hoping to get to Oatman (thanks to you) 😊

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  20. We are scheduled to be out there at the end of February, so this is awesome. I’ll definitely be pouring over your old posts to learn more and get our plans set. I only scheduled us for a week there which I am now thinking is going to be woefully inadequate, but at least it will be a start. Looks like a lovely area. I’m looking forward to it.

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    1. We should be in the area too 😀 Would love to meet. I’ll email you a few ideas from some of our previous visits to Lake Havasu. I haven’t visited Oatman yet, but it’s in the plans. You might want to Google that one.

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    1. It surprised me too. I had seen a few during previous visits and thought they were cute – for decorative purposes. I had no idea they served a function. Always fun to be enlightened.

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  22. You really captured the mood of these beautiful lighthouses with your gorgeous photos. Where are you camped? We stayed at the State Park a few years ago, and were not overly impressed. Maybe it was only due to the fact that most of it seemed to be under construction.

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    1. During this particular visit this past September, we stayed on private property. In the past, we’ve enjoyed Cattail Cove SP and boondocking on the island via Crazy Horse RV Park or out in the desert. I do remember the state park in town going through a major renovation a few years ago. We love Havasu but the lack of vegetation isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. We find there’s always something to do and plenty to explore.

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  25. Wow, I had no idea what a treasure Lake Havasu City was and the lighthouse pictures are beautiful. Duly noted…it is going on the list of places to visit in Arizona. Thanks for another great post!!

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    1. We always have fun in Havasu. During Jan and Feb there’s always some kind of entertaining event happening. Be sure and message me if you decide to fit Havasu into your winter travels. I’d love to share some must see/do things like hiking Sara’s Crack or visiting the Desert Bar plus more.

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  26. We are heading to Lake Havasu in a week. We didn’t get to the lighthouses on our last visit so I will have to see that we get to them this trip. Lovely photos of the lighthouses:)

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    1. Thanks Pam. We’ll be spending February in Havasu and I’m planning on hiking to each lighthouse I can for a photo-op. We’ll see how that goes. At least it’ll be a hiking goal/purpose. Have fun. Look forward to hearing where you’ll camp.

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    1. Thank you Nancy. On a future visit, I plan on photographing as many of the lighthouses as possible. Our friends are members of the Lighthouse Club and can certainly point me in the right direction.

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  28. When I read the title of your post I thought you had lost it. Little did I know there are indeed numerous lighthouses in the area. That area has so much to offer and thus far we have only passed through on a couple occasions.

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    1. Havasu is tons of fun with always something to see and do. Plenty of boondocking and 4x4ing in the area. I’m always drawn to water and the desert skies/sunsets over the lake are some of the best.

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    1. For some reason, I’m really missing the fall colors in the Midwest this year and have been contemplating a trip around Lake Michigan. Two years ago we made it as far as Door County in WI before heading back west. Amazing how our travel list gets longer instead of shorter the more we travel 😊

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  30. What a great post and pictures! I know the Split Rock lighthouse would be my favorite. Our best hike this summer was split rock in Minnesota!
    We’ll have to put this on our bucket list!

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    1. It was fun seeing the replicas and noting the real ones we’ve seen. A couple of years ago, we camped right by the lighthouse in Algoma Wisconsin. Unfortunately, I never got around to the Algoma replica, but since we’ll be back in Havasu in February, it’s on my list.

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    1. Hi Lisa. Yes, we’re in Phoenix now. We spent almost 3 weeks in September in Lake Havasu City and loved it. Unfortunately, it was still too hot to hit the trails, but we did get in some boating with our friends who live in the area. We’ll probably go back in February and thus look forward to your posts. Hiking Sara’s Crack 😁 is always a must!

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