We spent the first two weeks of December at one of my favorite campgrounds, Lake Havasu State Park in Arizona. While we prefer to boondock and keep away from bustling cities like Lake Havasu, my hometown draws us back to visit family and bask in the warm rays of the desert sun. The beauty of this campground is that while it’s within the city, it’s shoreline location makes it feel like you’re a world away from the traffic and hubbub of nearby downtown. I also won’t turn down any opportunity to camp on the shores of a beautiful lake like Havasu.
There are 47 sites at Lake Havasu State Park and the waterfront sites go fast so I was certain to make a reservation months in advance. We stayed in site 10, my favorite spot in the park, but I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the waterfront sites, even many of the non-waterfront sites have lake views. All sites include 50 amp electrical hookups and potable water. We paid $35 per night for our beachfront site, non-beachfront sites are $30 per night.
Here are a few of the key things I love about camping at Lake Havasu State Park:
Waterfront campsites:
The views and the serenity can’t be beat. You get a front row seat to some of the best sunsets you’ll ever see and you can paddle away in your kayak or paddleboard right from your campsite. Lake Havasu State Park and two private RV Parks (Crazy Horse & The Islander) are your only options for RV camping on the lake in Havasu. For the spaciousness, I’ll take the state park hands down over the others.
Spacious sites:
Lots of room between you and your neighbors. Some sites are more roomy than others but for the most part you get a nice amount of space to call your own.
Clean bathrooms and hot showers:
Nothing will turn me off of a campground faster than a gross bathroom. This park has some of the cleanest bathrooms and hottest showers I’ve seen at any campground. A major plus for a long stay like ours.
Excellent grounds:
From the launch ramps to the campground, walking path and picnic area, this place is pristine. It’s obvious that a lot of work goes in to keeping this park nice and it makes for a really enjoyable stay.
Walking path:
A 1.75 walking path weaves its way thru the park. Between this and the paved road thru the park, there’s always a great reason to go for a stroll and enjoy the scenery.
Proximity to town:
Grocery stores, shopping and restaurants are all within a 5-10 minute drive. The London Bridge is within walking distance. Angelina’s Italian Kitchen is one of our favorite restaurants in Havasu. With it only about a mile away, we hopped on our bikes and rode over for happy hour more than once during our stay.
Some photos from our stay…
Our site, #10:
Site #7:
Site #39:
An aerial view from my first weight-shift control trike flight:
Day use area:
South Boat Launch:
North Boat Launch:
Lake Havasu State Park has a great informative website and is easy to make reservations and find the perfect site for you and your rig.
Happy trails!
Thanks for including pictures of some of the sites. We’ll file it away for next winter when we’ll be in Arizona. How is the fishing in the lake?
Caite, we’re not fisherman ourselves but I will tell you that I heard fish jumping out of the water all day long and saw lots of fishing boats in the water.
We will put this gem on our “places to visit soon” list 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Be sure to let us know when you take to the road, it would be fun if our paths crossed!
Hi there, I was wondering how the weather is for Thanksgiving?is the water too cold for swimming? Are nights freezing or we could still camp in our tent?
Thank you for any info!
Patricia
At the end of November day temps are around mid-60s and 70s and nighttime temps are usually mid-40s-50s. Not sure on the temperature of the water. Hope this helps!
can you boat in camp here? thank you
Not sure. Haven’t ever seen boats on the beach but we’re typically there in the winter so it’s possible people do it during the summer. Sorry we couldn’t be of more help!
We are thinking about camping here around Dec. 16th for two nights with our three kids (7,5,2) en route to California. Do you think it’s too cold at night? We read it can go to about 43?
I’m not sure what you’re comfort zone is so it’s hard to say. In December, we usually run our furnace at night to keep a comfortable temp around 60. Have a great trip!
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