Things To Do In Needles

From the Needles Chamber of Commerce Play golf at the Needles Municipal Golf Course, a professional 18-hole course which overlooks the beautiful Colorado River. Some of the features include a driving range, rental carts, pro shop and professional golf lessons at a very reasonable rate. Telephone 619 326 3931

The Colorado River, in the Needles area, provides some of the finest boating and water skiing anywhere. With a current of 4 to 8 miles an hour, wakes disappear rapidly, leaving the smooth, "glass" that all water skiers are looking for. Fishermen will love our hefty rainbow trout, catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and strippers that are found here in the spring. Pirate Cove Resort and Marina is the Colorado's newest Resort Development.

Pirate Cove will be offering a new alternative to your River Vacation. Beach Front Cabin Rentals, Pirate Cove Grill, The Pirate Beach Bar, The Booty Beach Boutique and a new Marina are all part of this new Beach side Resort. Give Outback Off-Road Adventures, Inc. a call for an unforgettable experience. Four different 4-wheel Drive Desert Tours into the Lake Havasu's Outback are available. Great for young and old alike! Telephone 602 680 6151.

Oatman, Arizona is located just a beautiful scenic 45 minutes drive northeast of Needles. Oatman merchants have endeavored to keep this famous gold mining center as authentic as possible. Step back in time, enjoy the burros that walk freely throughout the town and the mock old west gunfights that are featured, while browsing and watching for the perfect antique that you cannot go home without!

Mitchell Caverns are located in the Providence Mountains about 60 miles west of Needles. These caverns are limestone caves that feature stalactites, stalagmites, flow-stone and other formations of interest. Cavern tours, lasting a little more than an hour, are available. The caverns are closed to visitors between June 16 and September 15th. Telephone 619 389 2881

Grapevine Canyon consists of Indian petroglyphs on sheer cliff walls in a canyon with year round streams. Just a short drive up Hwy 163 from Laughlin, turn at Christmas Tree Pass, then at the Grapevine Canyon sign to the parking area. A short hike is required.

Visit the Mystic Maze, a National Wildlife Refuge Systems Archaeological Site, located about 10 miles south of Needles of I-40. Precise arrangements of rocks have led some people to believe that this was an ancient agricultural project, but experts have said "no." The Needles Regional Museum has just opened their doors. Located at 929 Front St., it contains memorabilia from throughout our colorful history. Their hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Telephone 619 326 5678

Originally established in 1859 as a fort on the Colorado River to insure safe passage of emigrants through the region, little remains of the original site of Fort Mojave today other than some cement sidewalks and irrigation ditches and the remnants of a rotting stump in the old parade grounds where the flag pole use to stand. What has replaced the old fort are the thriving communities of Fort Mojave and Mohave Valley, located on Arizona Highway 95 in the beautiful Colorado River Basin on the western edge of central Mohave County. The sun rises over the majestic Black our eastern boundary, and sets over the Colorado River, the western boundary of Mohave Valley, Mohave County and the state of Arizona. Needles, founded in 1883, is one of the oldest living communities on the Colorado River, rich in history and promise for the future.
The fabric of it's past is intricately woven of influences of the river, the railroad, Old Trails Highway (later Route 66), the Mojave Indian Tribe, and pre-history - evidence of which abounds on the land. Perhaps most of all it has been influenced by its climate... hot summers offset by mild and wonderful winters. A backward glance into the misty past is necessary to set the stage fo defining Needles as a unique community and for relating how she happened to be founded in the first place.

Mojave Indians lived in this valley long before white people ever set foot on the land. Descendents of these early people still live here today and are called the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. How long the MojaveÂ’s were in residence here is not known but the archaeological record shows that early people were here thousands of years ago. Ancient petroglyphs, pictographs, intaglios, old trails and stone work sites bear witness of those who came before us. These features are of much interest to historians both local and throughout the world, and they especially intrigue the interest of visitors.

Arrival of the railroad at the Colorado River in 1883 actually caused the founding of the town. The new settlement was named "The Needles", a namesake of the sharp peaks at the southerly end of the valley. The peaks themselves had been named by Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple when he started the whole thing by heading the government survey for a railroad in 1854. The first bridge across this part of the Colorado River was built about 1883, and often washed away. The railroad was rerouted to Topock, and the Old Red Rock Cantilever Bridge was built in 1890.

At first people mostly traveled to and from Needles by rail, then Old Trails Highway, later called Route 66, came into being. Its approximate route is now followed by Interstate 40. A group of local citizens worked hard to keep the freeway from missing Needles for many years, and their work contributed greatly to the town's future. Some of the significant events affecting the town have been the building of the dams along the Colorado River and dredging of the river by the Bureau of Reclamation in the early 1950s, ending the long history of flooding from "hill to hill" each spring. Dredging drained the valley lands so they became suitable for agriculture and housing. The water became clear and suitable for recreation. Thus, two new industries came to the valley, agriculture and recreation. Needles has also been the scene of two major military maneuvers, General Patton's Army during World War II, and Desert Strike maneuvers in the mid-1960s.

Today Needles provides many attractions to its winter and summer visitors. The East Mojave National Scenic Area offers a vast variety of desert scenes and wildlife. The Colorado River has some of the finest boating and fishing possibilities found anywhere. The Needles Municipal Golf Course, which overlooks the river, is a professional 18 hole course with a driving range, golf carts and pro shop. The Topock Gorge and Havasu Wildlife Refuge area can provide hours of enjoyment. The City of Needles, due to our smog-free desert environment, the attraction of the Colorado River as a recreation/resort area, our warm year round climate and especially the friendly residents, is the place to be!