Bullhead City with Kids: A Slow Family Travel Guide

We had spent the better part of six months working our way down the Pacific Northwest coast, starting in the northwest corner of Washington and ending somewhere along the northern California shoreline. By December, everything we owned felt damp. The RV, our clothes, the air inside, all of it had absorbed that persistent coastal moisture that doesn't really announce itself until you realize you can't remember what dry feels like.

We stopped at family in Utah for Christmas, then pointed south toward the desert. Bullhead City, Arizona wasn't a place we had romanticized. We needed heat and dry air, and the map said this was where to find it. A winter in Bullhead City with kids wasn't the trip we'd pictured, but it's the one we got.

Our first impression was honest: dusty, sparse, and a little lifeless. The Colorado River runs right through town with mountains rising up on either side, but none of that registered much when we first pulled in a few days after Christmas. We felt the gap between what we'd hoped for and what we'd found. It wasn't bad, exactly. It just wasn't what we'd pictured. What we didn't know yet was that Bullhead City tends to reveal itself slowly, and that the river we'd barely noticed on arrival would eventually become the thing we looked forward to every single morning.

At a Glance

Location: Bullhead City sits in the far western corner of Arizona along the Colorado River, directly across the water from Laughlin, Nevada. The Davis Dam marks the northern edge of town, and Lake Havasu City is roughly an hour south.

Best For: Families looking for a warm weather escape with easy access to river activities, hiking, and a surprisingly active community. A good fit if you want outdoor space without the crowds of more heavily touristed desert destinations.

Best Time to Visit: February and March are the sweet spot. Winters are mild but windier than you'd expect. January in particular can be cold and gusty in ways that catch people off guard. Summers are extreme, with temperatures regularly pushing well past 110 degrees. If you're coming to enjoy the river and get outside, aim for late winter into early spring.

How Long We Stayed: Just over two months, which made it our longest stay anywhere on the road. The first month was harder than we anticipated, windier and cooler than we'd planned for, and our kids spent more time inside than any of us wanted. We extended because February turned out to be exactly what we'd come looking for in the first place. For most families, a solid month is the right amount of time, and we'd recommend timing that month for February or March if your goal is warm days and river access without fighting the heat.

Why We Chose Slow Family Travel in Bullhead City

After six months on the Pacific Northwest coast, the decision wasn't complicated. We needed sun and dry air, and we needed them before the coastal winter fully settled in. The RV had absorbed months of moisture and needed a long stretch of desert heat to sort itself out. So did we, honestly.

Bullhead City came up as a practical answer to a practical problem. It sits at a lower elevation than most of the Southwest, which keeps winter temperatures warmer than comparable desert towns, and the Colorado River meant we'd have something to do beyond just existing in the heat. We weren't chasing a dream destination. We were chasing dry, and Bullhead City looked like it could deliver.

What we didn't fully account for was January wind. The locals told us afterward that it had been a rougher year than usual, but wind is apparently just part of the deal in January. Had we known that going in, we might have pushed further south for the first month and arrived in Bullhead City once February came around. That's the honest version of the trip planning, and it's worth knowing before you go.

Outdoor Adventures & Things to Do

The Colorado River

The river is the center of everything in Bullhead City, and once the wind settled and the temperatures climbed into the seventies, we understood why. We had access right from our RV park, and on good days we didn't need much more than that. We set up chairs under a sago palm growing out over the bank and spent entire days out there. The sunsets came down over the southwest end of the river from where we sat, and they were spectacular.

Paddleboarding and Boating

We got our small boat out regularly and ran it up and down the river. One of our favorite things became dropping the family off near the Davis Dam and letting them float back down to the RV park on paddleboards. It's an easy, unhurried float with clear water and enough wildlife along the banks to keep it interesting the whole way. If you don't have your own equipment, jet ski and boat rentals are available, and by late spring the river was full of both.

Fishing

We tried fishing and never pulled anything in, but we saw plenty of big fish. The water is clear enough that you can watch them. The river gets stocked regularly, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays draw crowds of locals who clearly know what they're doing. Worth trying if that's your thing.

Rotary Park

Over 300 acres right on the Colorado River, and one of the better municipal parks we've come across anywhere on the road. It has a skate park, disc golf, a dog park, a fishing jetty, BMX features, and miles of bike paths. Budget more time than you think you'll need.

Community Park and Ken Fovarg Park

Community Park has a mile of beach access and public swimming areas. Both it and Ken Fovarg Park have free public splash pads our kids used repeatedly. There's also a community pool, though it closes in winter. When we wanted an indoor swim we drove down to Lake Havasu City.

Grapevine Canyon

About a half hour from town and the best hike we did in the area. A few miles round trip, well shaded, and beautiful the whole way through. The whole family completed it without any trouble. Worth making the drive.

Arizona Hot Springs Canyon

We only made it partway through on our visit, but what we saw was worth the trip. A good option if you want something with a little more ruggedness to it.

Secret Pass

An off-road trail we drove in our truck. It requires a capable vehicle and patience. The first stretch is rocky and slow going. Eventually it opens into narrow sand-bed canyons with sheer walls on both sides. Getting out and walking around in there made the bumpy ride worth it.

Oatman

A half hour from Bullhead City and worth an afternoon. It's a small historic mining town with wild burros wandering the streets, and it's exactly as fun as it sounds with kids.

Laughlin, Nevada

Laughlin sits directly across the river and is a five-minute free boat shuttle ride from the Bullhead City side. The shuttle runs frequently from a dock off a public parking lot, no reservation needed. It's casino country over there, but it's walkable and family-friendly enough for a meal or an afternoon. The dining options in the casinos are generally a step up from what you'll find in Bullhead City proper.

Lake Havasu City

About an hour south and worth a day trip. The lake, the hiking, and the off-roading options down there are all excellent, and it's easy to pair with a Bullhead City stay. We'll be covering Lake Havasu City in its own post.

Community & Culture

Bullhead City is bigger than most places we tend to stay, and that took some adjustment. We didn't settle into the community the way we have in smaller towns, and we won't pretend otherwise. It's a city with a city's pace, and the intimacy that comes naturally in a place of a few thousand people isn't really available here in the same way.

That said, the community surprised us. A significant portion of the population is retired, and that demographic brings a kind of unhurried friendliness that we weren't expecting. The people we met were warm and quick to talk, and there was a real liveliness to the town that the first impression hadn't suggested.

Mohave Community College is more embedded in the everyday life of the city than most colleges we've seen in towns this size. They run community classes and programs that draw locals of all ages, and that presence gives Bullhead City a cultural texture that isn't always easy to find in desert retirement communities. The college felt like a hub in a real way, not just a campus on the edge of town.

There are community events and co-ops scattered throughout, and enough going on that families with kids have options beyond just the parks and the river. It's not a place that wraps its arms around you immediately, but it earns its welcome over time.

The Homeschool Scene

Bullhead City has more homeschool infrastructure than its size might suggest. The library runs programs worth checking into, and there are a handful of co-ops active in the community that we participated in during our stay. It's not a town built around the homeschool lifestyle the way some smaller destinations are, but the resources are there if you look for them.

The standout for us was Mohave Community College. They offer community classes that are open to motivated younger students, and our daughter ended up joining an art class there. She was the youngest in the room by a significant margin, but the instructors were welcoming and she thrived in it. For older kids who are mature and self-directed, it's worth inquiring directly with the college about what might be a fit.

The parks, the river, and the day trips to places like Grapevine Canyon and Oatman fill in the experiential side of things naturally. Bullhead City won't do the homeschool work for you, but it gives you plenty of raw material to work with.

Foodie Finds

Foodie Grill

This was the clear standout in Bullhead City. Mediterranean and Greek-style food, fast and affordable, and we went back multiple times. It's the kind of place that earns a regular spot in your rotation without trying too hard. If you eat nowhere else in town, eat here.

The Prime Rib Room, Riverside Resort, Laughlin

A short boat ride across the river and worth every minute of the trip. We went as a couple and were pleasantly surprised. Around $30 per person all-in for a sit-down prime rib dinner that was very good, at the time we went. The Riverside Resort is easy to find once you're on the Laughlin side, and the Prime Rib Room is the kind of old-school dining room that the casino corridor does better than anywhere else.

Bubba Gump Shrimp, Golden Nugget, Laughlin

We took the family here, and it was a fun experience. The food didn't blow us away, and we wouldn't rush back for the meal itself, but the kids enjoyed it and it made for a good family outing across the river. Manage expectations on the food and you'll have a fine time.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Pier 95 RV Park for just over two months, which ended up being the longest stretch we've spent anywhere since hitting the road. It's a month-to-month property with no short-term stays, and when we were there rates ranged from $650 to $850 depending on the site. That minimum commitment is worth knowing before you plan around it.

The park sits right on the Colorado River, and the spacing between sites is generous enough that it felt private even when full. Most of the long-term residents are retired full-timers who keep to themselves, which suited us fine. We had a spot close enough to the water that we could walk down to the bank in under a minute, and that access made all the difference once the weather cooperated.

There are several other RV parks along the river in Bullhead City, and from what we observed passing them on the water, most offer comparable access: docks, open bank space, spots to set up chairs and watch the river. If Pier 95 doesn't have availability, you have options, and the river-facing sites are worth prioritizing wherever you land.

Closing Thoughts

Bullhead City wasn't what we expected when we arrived, and it took time to become what it eventually was for us. The first month was hard, windier and cooler than we'd planned for, and we spent more days inside than anyone wanted. But February arrived and the place opened up, and suddenly the river and the parks and the warm unhurried days made sense.

It's a good destination for families who want outdoor access without the noise of heavily touristed spots. The river alone justifies the trip if you time it right. February and March are the window we'd point most families toward. If you're arriving in December or January, go in with honest expectations about the wind, or consider positioning yourself further south and working your way up to Bullhead City once the calendar turns.

We stayed longer than we planned, and we don't regret it.