Las Vegas to Laughlin for golf: the drive and how to combine them

Las Vegas to Laughlin is about 98.8 miles from the Las Vegas airport, 139 minutes by free-flow routing and commonly 1.5 to 2 hours. The drive runs US-95 south through Boulder City and Searchlight, then NV-163 east to the river. Both cities share Pacific time, so a Vegas trip can add a few days of cheaper river golf.

Las Vegas to Laughlin is how many golfers reach the river, either flying into Las Vegas or tacking a river leg onto a Vegas weekend. Here is the drive, the alternatives and how the two fit together.

Quick facts

• Distance: 98.8 miles from the LAS Rent-A-Car Center to Laughlin.
• Drive time: 139 minutes free-flow; commonly 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Route: US-95 south, then NV-163 east over the Newberry Mountains.
• Clock: Pacific time in both cities; the Arizona courses run one hour ahead in winter.
• On to Lake Havasu City: another 94 minutes and 71.5 miles down AZ-95.
• Shuttles: exist, but schedules and fares were not verified.

Las Vegas to Laughlin: drive times

Times are free-flow estimates from the OSRM router, queried October 27, 2026. OSRM tends to run slower than real highway driving, so treat them as conservative.

The drive, step by step

Pick up a rental car at the Las Vegas airport's off-airport Rent-A-Car Center. Head south on US-95 through Boulder City and Searchlight. After Searchlight, turn east on NV-163, which climbs over the Newberry Mountains and drops to Laughlin on the Colorado River.

Near the end of the drive, Christmas Tree Pass Road leaves NV-163 west of Laughlin for the Grapevine Canyon petroglyphs, a short desert walk to a canyon full of rock art below Spirit Mountain. The road is graded dirt. Go early in warm months and carry water.

NV-163 brings you into Laughlin. The Laughlin-Bullhead City Bridge at the north end of the strip crosses to Arizona, and the Veterans Memorial Bridge on Aztec Road, about 11 miles south, links the Avi area with Fort Mohave.

The Arizona-side route via Kingman

If you are basing in Bullhead City, Fort Mohave or heading on toward Kingman, the alternative is US-93 to Kingman, then AZ-68 west over Union Pass to Bullhead City. Kingman is home to Cerbat Cliffs, the municipal course, about 50 minutes from the Laughlin bridge. A GolfNow Hot Deal there was $50 with cart on August 23, 2026. The Cerbat Cliffs course guide has its card.

Remember the clock when you cross into Arizona: from November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027, Kingman and Bullhead City are one hour ahead of Las Vegas.

Driving down from Canada through Las Vegas

Snowbirds driving from Alberta usually come the same way. The common route is I-15 south through Montana, Idaho and Utah to Las Vegas, then US-95 south and NV-163 to Laughlin, or US-93 via Kingman for the Arizona side. Winter weather in Montana, Idaho and Utah can slow or close I-15, so leave slack in the schedule. From Las Vegas on, the last leg is the same 139-minute drive. See Canadian snowbirds in Laughlin.

Where to play first

Nevada time, near the Avi. Mojave Resort is the one course on the Nevada side, beside the Avi Resort & Casino at the south end of Laughlin. Its tee sheet runs on Pacific time, the same clock as Las Vegas. It is a flat Schmidt-Curley layout with river and mountain views, where wind is the main defence. It reopened October 9, 2026 after overseed. Fees are not published, so call 702-535-4653. The Mojave Resort course guide covers it.

The top course, across the bridge. Laughlin Ranch in Bullhead City is about 9 minutes from the Laughlin bridge. It is the best and dearest course on this stretch of river, a hilly Druzisky design at $137 to $169 with cart for non-residents in winter and spring on its table labelled 2027. It runs on Arizona time. The Laughlin Ranch course guide has every rate band.

Fort Mohave. Huukan, the former Desert Lakes, is a gentler, flat course about 28 minutes from the bridge, under the same operator as Mojave Resort.

Where to stay after the drive

Laughlin's casino hotels are among the cheapest resort-style rooms in the West. Aggregators put weeknights at about $55 and weekends at about $93 in October 2026 snapshots, with resort fees of roughly $18 to $27 a night at most properties. Friday and Saturday nights, holiday weekends and event weekends run much higher.

For golf, the stay-and-play partners help. The Riverside, at the north end of Casino Drive by the bridge, sells a Laughlin Ranch room-and-golf package. A GolfTroop listing priced a Riverside sample (four golfers, three Laughlin Ranch rounds, Sunday to Thursday) at $107 to $299 per person per night by date. The Avi charges no resort fee for its pools, beach and fitness center, takes bookings only from guests 21 and over and sits next to Mojave Resort. See Laughlin golf packages and where to stay in Laughlin for golf.

Combining Las Vegas and river golf

The simplest Las Vegas to Laughlin pattern is Vegas first, then the river. Fly into Las Vegas, spend your Vegas nights, then drive the 139 minutes to Laughlin for two or three rounds and cheaper midweek rooms. Fly home from Las Vegas on the same Pacific clock.

A few points make this work:

• Go midweek on the river. Laughlin rooms price by day of week, so Sunday to Thursday there is far cheaper than a Vegas weekend.
• Book the Arizona courses in Arizona time. Laughlin Ranch, Huukan and the Fort Mohave courses run an hour ahead of Vegas in winter. Our Laughlin time zone guide explains.
• Check overseed in the fall. In 2026 Mojave Resort was closed September 8 to October 8. See Laughlin golf overseed.
• Allow for the last morning. Leave about two and a half hours for the drive back to the airport, plus your rental return.

A day trip from Las Vegas is possible but long: well over four hours of driving round trip on the free-flow estimate. One night on Casino Drive turns it into two relaxed rounds.

Mesquite is the other Nevada golf town often paired with Las Vegas. Compare the Mesquite golf map and the Las Vegas to Mesquite guide.

Going on to Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu City is 94 minutes and 71.5 miles south of Laughlin on AZ-95, or 204 minutes and 155.5 miles from the Las Vegas airport. It has Lake Havasu Golf Club, with two courses, and Iron Wolf, the former Refuge. Lake Havasu Golf Club posts public rates of $94 before noon on the West and $82 on the East, dropping to $50 and $48 after 3 PM; Iron Wolf posts no rates online, so call. Havasu runs on Arizona time all year, so from November to mid-March it is an hour ahead of your Las Vegas flight times. For a longer river trip, see Colorado River golf and our flights to Laughlin guide for flying home from Phoenix instead.

Plan it on the map

The Laughlin golf map shows every course and stay with drive times from the Laughlin bridge. The $30 plan builds your Las Vegas to Laughlin golf days in order, with tee times written in the right clock.