Weird Day Trips
Oatman
Oatman is about 45–60 minutes and about 30 miles from Laughlin or Bullhead City, on paved Route 66 over Sitgreaves Pass. That is a planning number, not live traffic. Fill up before you leave. There is no gas on the last stretch. What you actually see is wild burros and a short main street of wooden storefronts.
Oatman is a Route 66 town in the Black Mountains, with wild burros on Main Street. They are descendants of miners’ pack animals. From Laughlin or Bullhead City it is about 30 miles and 45–60 minutes on the historic Route 66 alignment. From Las Vegas direct it is a bit over 2 hours. Treat it as an add-on once you are already in the Laughlin area, not as its own casual day from the Strip.
- From Las Vegas
- About 45–60 minutes from Laughlin
- Distance
- About 30 miles from Laughlin
- Road
- Paved, steep in places
- Time to allow
- Optional side trip
Short history
What you see is a short main street of wooden storefronts, the Oatman Hotel, and gift shops. An occasional staged gunfight is part of the town’s tourist day. This page does not list a schedule.
The burros are the reason most people stop. Give them room. They are animals on a street, not a petting exhibit with posted rules this page can quote.
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 Oatman?
From Laughlin or Bullhead City, plan on about 30 miles and 45–60 minutes. From central Las Vegas direct, plan on a bit over 2 hours. Those are rounded planning numbers, not live traffic.
The sensible shape is to add Oatman after you are already in Laughlin. A same-day out-and-back from the Strip, with no other stop, is a lot of driving for one street.
Should you fill up before the drive to Oatman?
Fill up before you leave Laughlin or Bullhead City. There is no gas on the last stretch. The road over Sitgreaves Pass is paved, but it is steep and winding. A normal rental car is the usual vehicle. This page does not report closures or how busy the pass is today.
What you can see
You can see burros, wooden storefronts, the Oatman Hotel, and gift shops. If a staged gunfight is on, it is a show for visitors, not a historical reenactment this page can verify.
Laughlin is the base for this stop. The river, the museum, and Avi are on that page. Lake Havasu is the next town south if you are staying overnight, about 1 to 1.5 hours and about 70 miles from Laughlin.
Heat and safety
This is still the desert, and the pass is a remote stretch even though it is paved. Summer afternoons regularly exceed 100°F (38°C). Carry water, and do not count on a station once you have left town.
On the ground
What you can see
You can see wild burros, wooden storefronts, the Oatman Hotel, and gift shops.
Private or off limits
Fill up before Sitgreaves Pass. There is no gas on the last stretch. Give the burros room.
Summer and the season
Summer afternoons regularly exceed 100°F (38°C). The pass is remote even though it is paved. Carry water.
Burros on Main Street, from a respectful distance, with the wooden storefronts in the frame.
Get directions
Get directions from Las Vegas. The link opens a map. It is not a live traffic report.
Get directions from Laughlin for this side trip.
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.
A side trip from Laughlin, about 45–60 minutes and about 30 miles. Lake Havasu is the other southern extension, about 1 to 1.5 hours from Laughlin. Do not bolt this onto a north day.