Weird Day Trips
Laughlin and the Colorado River Day Trip from Las Vegas
Laughlin and the Colorado River are about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours from Las Vegas, on the order of 100 miles, all paved. That is a planning number for a dry day, not a live traffic report. What you actually see is a casino town on the river. Oatman’s burros are a side trip once you are there. From early November to mid-March, Bullhead City runs one hour ahead of Laughlin.
Laughlin is the longer southern option: a casino town on the Colorado River, about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours from central Las Vegas and on the order of 100 miles. US-95 south and the local roads are paved. A same-day turnaround is a full day. It is easier as an overnight. The trip assumes a rental car.
- From Las Vegas
- About 2 hours
- Distance
- About 100 miles
- Road
- Paved the whole way
- Time to allow
- Full day or overnight
Short history
The historical hook is the steamboats on the lower Colorado from the 1850s into the early 1900s. They carried supplies and ore for mines that included Eldorado Canyon, where Nelson is, and Searchlight. The river was the highway before the railroads and the modern roads.
The Colorado River Historical Society Museum in Laughlin is a short stop for steamboat, mining, and early river history. Hours and admission are not copied here.
Hardyville Pioneer Cemetery in Bullhead City is a remnant of the old 1860s ferry port. Occasional stories about activity there are anecdotal. They are not a reason to treat the cemetery, or Laughlin, as anything other than a place to visit in daylight.
The Colorado Belle has been closed since 2020. It is an empty riverfront building shaped like a paddle steamer. Online explorers call it the “ghost ship.” That name is about a closed building, not historical lore.
Practical visitor info
Hours and fees change. Check the site, the park, or the business before you go. This page does not quote a current price or a current opening time.
The numbers match the drive times and distances page. Read desert day-trip tips before a hot day, and see sample itineraries if you want to combine stops. The town list is Ghost Towns Near Las Vegas. Tonopah and the Extraterrestrial Highway are indexed under Weird Day Trips.
How long is the drive to Laughlin?
Plan on about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours from central Las Vegas, on the order of 100 miles, all paved: US-95 south, then the local roads into town. That is a rounded planning number for a dry day, not live traffic.
Turning around the same day makes a full day. Staying the night is the easier shape. This page does not list room rates.
Arizona does not observe daylight saving time. From early November to mid-March, Bullhead City, across the river, runs one hour ahead of Laughlin. Crossing the bridge after midnight on New Year’s Eve lets you catch a second midnight. Outside that window the two sides match.
Is the drive to Laughlin paved?
The highway route is paved the whole way, and a normal rental car is the usual vehicle. This page does not report construction or bridge delays.
What you can see
You are in a working casino town on the river. The museum covers the steamboat years. Searchlight is the living town on the way down, and Spirit Mountain is the sacred landscape south of Searchlight.
Avi Resort & Casino is a short drive from the main casino row. It has a private white-sand beach and cove on the Colorado River, one of the few private river beaches in the area. Hotel guests get access. Hours are generally sunrise to sunset.
Jet-ski and boat rentals are on site at Avi or immediately nearby, and other operators rent on both the Laughlin and Bullhead sides. Check current local rentals. This page does not name operators or quote prices.
Oatman is the side trip once you are here: wild burros on a Route 66 main street, about 30 miles and 45–60 minutes from Laughlin or Bullhead City. Fill up before you leave. There is no gas on the last stretch. Lake Havasu is the next day south, about 1 to 1.5 hours and about 70 miles, if you are staying overnight.
Heat and safety
Fall through spring, roughly October through April, is the comfortable window. Summer afternoons regularly exceed 100°F (38°C). The river is still usable, but the heat limits walking and standing time. Read the desert tips before a summer day.
A same-day return is a long time in the car. If the forecast is extreme, Searchlight is the shorter stop on the same road.
On the ground
What you can see
You can see the river, the casino row, the museum if it is open, and the beach at Avi if you are a hotel guest. Oatman’s burros are a separate side trip.
Private or off limits
Room rates, museum hours, and rental prices are not listed here. Check current local boat and jet-ski rentals. The Colorado Belle has been closed since 2020.
Summer and the season
October through April is the comfortable window. Summer afternoons regularly exceed 100°F (38°C). The river is still usable, but the heat limits walking.
The river from a public overlook, and the closed Colorado Belle as an empty paddle-steamer building.
Get directions
Get directions from Las Vegas. The link opens a map. It is not a live traffic report.
Combine this
Times below are planning figures. Conditions change. A north stop and a south stop do not belong in the same day. The return drive eats it.
South. Oatman is about 45–60 minutes and about 30 miles once you are here. Lake Havasu is about 1 to 1.5 hours and about 70 miles further south, the next day if you stay overnight. Searchlight is the waypoint on the way down.