Blake Walsh

15 Best Things to Do in Bullhead City, AZ

  • Published 2021/12/28

For many tourists, a place with year-round sunshine must be like the promised land.

It’s the ultimate vacation destination.

However, Bullhead City, Arizona, is one such place, and it wants everyone to know about it.

Besides a year-round summer, Bullhead City also offers spectacular natural attractions with equally wonderful views.

You’ll find the Black Mountain Range there.

You can also reach the Colorado River from the city, and you can play around in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Bullhead City is a nature getaway that should release your inner thrill-seeker.

With many outdoor activities available, you’ll want to come back and experience it all again and again.

Do you want to know more about Bullhead City, AZ?

Here’s a list of the best things to do while there.

Spend the Day at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Scenie View of Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Felipe Sanchez / Shutterstock.com

The first and biggest national recreation area in the United States offers many activities for intrepid travelers.

Can you imagine having 1.5 million acres of nature all to yourself?

You’ll have mountains, valleys, canyons, and two enormous lakes.

Scenie View of Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Laurens Hoddenbagh / Shutterstock.com

The view from Lake Mead and Lake Mohave also includes the Hoover Dam, adding another photo opportunity to your trip.

Why not visit the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and swim, hike, bike, camp out, swim, or boat to your hearts’ content?

If that wasn’t enough, you could also pick from the region’s nine wilderness areas if you want to get lost to find yourself.

Scenie View of Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Felipe Sanchez / Shutterstock.com

Play Your Heart Out at the Bullhead City Rotary Park

For a unique park experience in Bullhead, you might want to go to the Bullhead City Rotary Park.

Why?

This park offers a flying field for radio-controlled aircraft so that you can fulfill your piloting dreams.

Of course, you can also play sports there.

The park has three basketball courts, a full-sized lighted baseball field, and a football sports complex.

There’s also a 3.2-mile walking trail to get you closer to nature.

If you got adventurous kids, you could also bring them to the lighted skate park while you enjoy a game of horseshoe at any of the four pits.

Visit the Bullhead City Rotary Park at 2315 Balboa Drive, Bullhead City, AZ.

Enjoy the Outdoors at the Davis Dam

View of Davis Dam

Felipe Sanchez / Shutterstock.com

The construction of this dam also created the large lake called Lake Mohave, which has become a terrific outdoor destination at Bullhead City.

You can go camping at the Davis Dam Camp when you go there.

View of Davis Dam

Felipe Sanchez / Shutterstock.com

This camp also lets you go boating or have picnics.

You can also go fishing at the lake, home to rainbow trout, catfish, and striped bass.

When you’re done fishing, you can go to the nearby Laughlin City for casinos and entertainment.

Enjoy the View at Pyramid Canyon

Another outdoor destination you can visit in Bullhead City is the Pyramid Canyon.

This canyon sits on the Colorado River.

To the north of the canyon lies Cottonwood Valley, while the Mohave Valley is on the south.

If you look west, you’ll see a gorgeous view of the Newberry Mountains.

Meanwhile, the Black Mountains of Arizona stand tall in the east.

Bring your best camera when you go to the Pyramid Canyon.

You’ll fill up your camera roll in a hurry.

Hang Out at the Bullhead City Community Park

Open seven days a week, the Bullhead City Community Park offers simpler pleasures for travelers who want to relax.

It’s also a spacious park, with 376 acres of land sitting alongside the Colorado River and many amenities.

You can play baseball there or go to the Buoyed Swim Beach for a dip.

Likewise, you can go out on the water from a boat launch.

You can also walk your dog there.

Finally, the park gives you access to historical sites such as the former Moss Mine’s Headframe, plus the Colorado River Museum.

Visit the Bullhead City Community Park at 1251 Highway 95 Bullhead City, AZ.

Learn Local History at the Colorado River Museum

View of  Colorado River Museum

Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you want to learn about Bullhead City history, you should drop by the Colorado River Museum, constructed in 1947.

Back then, this building was a major stop for the workers who built the Davis Dam.

Today, you can enter the museum to find artifacts and memorabilia that show that section of the city’s history.

You can also see some old photographs showing the builders and the dam they put up.

Visit the Colorado River Museum at Bullhead Community Park, 1239 AZ-95, Bullhead City, AZ 86429.

Try a New Sport at the Mountainview Disc Golf Course

What better occasion to try something new than an out-of-town trip?

In that case, Bullhead City has just the thing for you.

Check out the Mountainview Disc Golf Course and learn a new sport you can play with friends.

On the banks of the Colorado River lies the Mountainview course, which affords you magnificent riverside views.

The course is a mix of grass and dirt fairways, allowing you a variety of play styles.

Likewise, the course itself isn’t very challenging. Beginners can go there and learn on the fly.

Visit the Mountainview Disc Golf Course at the Bullhead City Rotary Park.

Grab a Piece of History at the Lil’ Red Schoolhouse

View of Lil’ Red Schoolhouse

Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1947, Bullhead City also built the one-room schoolhouse now affectionately called the Lil’Red Schoolhouse.

It’s an iconic piece of city history because it stood even before Bullhead became a bonafide city.

This schoolhouse was the first building put up for the Bullhead Elementary School District, and it ran until 1951.

In 2015, Bullhead decided to relocate the building to the Community Park, where it joins the company of other historical sites.

Visit the Lil’ Red Schoolhouse at Bullhead Community Park, 1239 AZ Highway 95, Bullhead City, AZ 86429.

Fly RC Planes at the Rodney Briscoe Memorial Flying Field

The Rodney Briscoe Memorial Flying Field offers aviation fanatics the chance to take their RC gizmos to the air and make their pilot dreams come true.

For over 25 years, groups like the Local Area Fun Flyers had flown their radio-controlled airplanes every weekend at this field, even when the runway was made of dirt.

Today, the city has made some renovations to the field, which would make flying RC planes easier for all flying groups.

These changes include repaving of the flight area.

You can also go there as a guest pilot if you have your RC plane, but you need an AMA card.

Cruise Along the Colorado River on the River Passage Water Taxi

Bullhead City’s prime location along the Colorado River means you can’t pass up the chance to take a river cruise.

So, indulge yourself by booking a ride on the River Passage Water Taxi service.

These water taxis are docked at hotels and casinos along the river.

When you get on the boat, you can pick any of the nine riverside casinos as your destination.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

On your way to a night of games and entertainment, you’ll also get treated to a serene and romantic river journey.

Book a River Passage Water Taxi trip at 315 Long Avenue, Bullhead City, AZ 86429.

Revisit History at the Hardyville Cemetery

View of Hardyville Cemetery

grekit, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

You might not think of a cemetery as a possible tourist destination, but the Hardyville Cemetery offers tourists a clear glimpse at Bullhead City’s history.

This cemetery is all that remains of Hardyville, one of the port towns along the Colorado River in the 19th century.

After two devastating fires, the Hardyville residents deserted the town.

In the 1940s, the region became lively again as Hardyville became Bullhead City.

The construction of the Davis Dam brought people back to the area.

Inside the cemetery, you’ll find 11 graves, with many of them unmarked.

The ten known graves belonged to Hardyville residents in the 19thcentury.

Reading the grave markers should give you a good idea of people’s lifestyles back then.

The National Register of Historic Places also included this 2.5-acre cemetery.

Visit the Hardyville Cemetery at 1776 AZ-95, Bullhead City, AZ 86442.

See Wildlife the Secret Pass Trail

If you’d like to see some animals while hiking, you need to go to the Secret Pass trail, a 19.3-kilometer trail near Bullhead City.

Many hikers also go down this trail, owing to the great chances of spotting local wildlife during the hike.

It’s also reasonably challenging, so you don’t need to expend so much effort.

On the other hand, you can also drive your off-road vehicle down this trail.

This off-road adventure should make for memorable nature trips.

The Secret Pass Trail is open year-round, and it also allows dogs to pass.

Other Things to Do Nearby

Go Hiking at the Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park and Trails

Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park and Trails

Felipe Sanchez / Shutterstock.com

If you can’t get enough of the outdoors, you can pop by the Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park and Trails in Laughlin.

The park offers a trail system for guests who want to walk or hike.

Likewise, you can also go fishing at any of the fishing nodes in the park, or you can simply enjoy the breeze at the day-use park.

Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park and Trails

Felipe Sanchez / Shutterstock.com

Just bring your camera with you because you’ll want to take photos of the imposing Davis Dam.

The park also hosts three well-developed trailheads for hikers, plus a pedestrian overpass.

So, if you want to while the afternoon away in Laughlin, just drop by the Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park and Trails.

Colorado River Heritage Greenway Park and Trails

Felipe Sanchez / Shutterstock.com

Relish the Wings at PT’s Express

Just 12 minutes away from Bullhead City is the Las Vegas staple PT’s Express, now making its home at Laughlin, Nevada.

The restaurant is one of the amenities located at the Edgewater Casino Resort so that you can play at the casino before—or after—your dinner.

What made PT’s Express a Las Vegas icon?

It’s the delectable chicken wings and pretzel bites, which have captivated people from all over the country.

Today, you’ll also find other delicious dishes on their menus, such as their signature burgers and pizza choices.

You can find PT’s Express inside the Edgewater Casino Resort, located at 2020 S. Casino Drive, Laughlin, Nevada 89029.

Learn the History of Cars at Don Laughlin’s Classic Car Museum

 Cars at Don Laughlin’s Classic Car Museum

Helga_foto / Shutterstock.com

For motorheads going to Laughlin, you can also visit Don Laughlin’s Classic Car Museum to feast your eyes on the vintage cars on display.

This collection composes two exhibit areas inside Laughlin’s Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino, and you’ll find over 80 rare cars and historic vehicles there.

What kind of historic vehicles are inside the museum?

 Cars at Don Laughlin’s Classic Car Museum

Helga_foto / Shutterstock.com

Many of these vehicles have passed through the hands of Hollywood superstars.

You can even find Steve McQueen’s old motorcycle there.

Likewise, the museum also features muscle cars of the 1960s and traditional horseless carriages.

It’s a unique history lesson, for sure.

Visit Don Laughlin’s Classic Car Museum at 1650 S. Casino Dr., Laughlin, NV 89029.

 Cars at Don Laughlin’s Classic Car Museum

Helga_foto / Shutterstock.com

Final Thoughts

Bullhead City is a city for both the headstrong adventurer and the leisure traveler.

It’s also near the Colorado River, which hosts several destinations that fit the bill for a memorable vacation.

Take the first chance you get, and book a trip to Bullhead City!

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