Searchlight

Searchlight is a former mining town in Southern Nevada, between Boulder City and Laughlin.

Understand

Searchlight was founded as a mining town shortly after prospector George Frederick Colton struck gold in the area in 1857. He apparently used a searchlight (type of lantern) and the town took its name from that.

In 1907, composer and pianist Scott Joplin wrote the song Searchlight Rag after the town because he and some friends went prospecting there. You may recognize it from the popular video game Rollercoaster Tycoon.

In 2010, the town was depicted in the video game Fallout: New Vegas along with nearby Goodsprings and Primm. Situated in the southeastern corner of the in-game map, the Camp Searchlight had become heavily irradiated due to sabotage by the Roman-inspired Caesar's Legion faction.

Climate

Searchlight has a typical desert climate with hot days and cold nights. It is constantly arid with little rainfall, hot summers and warm winters.

Searchlight
Climate chart (explanation)
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation+Snow totals in inches
Source: Wikipedia. Visit The Weather Channel for a ten-day forecast.
Metric conversion
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation+Snow totals in mm

Get in

By car
  • From Boulder City – Take the US-93 west, then the US-95 south.
  • From Laughlin – Take the SR-163 west, then the US-95 north.
  • From Primm – Take the I-15 south, then the SR-164 east.

By plane

🌍 Searchlight Airport is unmanned and has no services.

There are charter and seasonal flights from some American and Canadian cities to the nearby 🌍 Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport (IFP IATA) in Bullhead City, Arizona across the river from Laughlin. The airport is not served by any major airline.

Las Vegas has 🌍 Henderson Executive Airport (HSH IATA) and 🌍 Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran International Airport) (LAS IATA).

By bus

See
  • 🌍 Searchlight Historic Museum, 200 Michael Wendell Way, ☏ +1 702-305-8474. M-F 9AM-5PM; Sa 9AM-1PM. Museum dedicated to Searchlight's history as a mining town. 
  • 🌍 Walking Box Ranch, ☏ +1 702-714-0552. On the National Register of Historic Places. The ranch belonged to 1920s silent film stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow, serving as an entertainment venue for celebrities including Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Errol Flynn, and Lionel Barrymore. (updated May 2020)
  • 🌍 Clark County Fire Station 75. In Fallout New Vegas, the Searchlight's fire station was sabotaged by Caesar's Legion to make the town irradiated. (updated May 2023)
  • Searchlight Community Church, 815 US-95. Searchlight only has one church which is north of the town, as opposed to the two churches depicted in Fallout: New Vegas. (updated Nov 2023)

Do
  • 🌍 Cottonwood Cove Resort Marina, 10000 Cottonwood Cove Rd, toll-free: +1-877-262-8212, . (updated Jul 2020)
  • 🌍 Searchlight Park. A small recreational park. (updated Oct 2017)
  • Searchlight Skate Park. A small recreational skate park. (updated Aug 2020)
  • 🌍 Rex Bell Jr. Trail Park. A 0.5 mi (0.80 km) walking trail with workout stations and historical signs behind Elementary School. (updated Aug 2020)
  • 🌍 Searchlight Cemetery. Small historical cemetery built in the early 1900s. (updated Aug 2020)


Gambling

If you win...

Chances are that, if you win it big in Searchlight and you are not a U.S. citizen your winnings will be subject to a 30% withholding tax from the Internal Revenue Service. That $10,000 slot winning can dwindle quite quickly if that is taken off the top. Not to worry though you can reclaim your gambling winnings tax through a 1042-S form. You should get this from the casino so don't lose it: it is your starting ticket to getting your gambling winnings back.

Searchlight has a few opportunities for gambling from its small casinos.

  • 🌍 Terrible's Casino, 670 US-95, ☏ +1 702-297-9200. Small casino with a bar and a small 2-lane bowling alley. Also has a Redbox for renting movies, a convenience store, and a McDonald's close by. (updated Oct 2017)
  • 🌍 Terrible's Roadhouse, 100 US-95, ☏ +1 702-297-1201. 24 hrs. (updated Jul 2020)

Buy

Eat

Searchlight has two restaurants: Denny's and a McDonald's.

  • Denny's, 100 US-95 (in Terrible's Roadhouse), ☏ +1 702-825-3956. 6AM—9PM. (updated Oct 2017)
  • 🌍 McDonald's, 670 US Hwy 95 S (adjacent to Terrible's Casino), ☏ +1 702-297-2022. 5AM—11PM. Has free Wi-Fi and a drive-thru. (updated Oct 2017)

Drink
  • Terrible's Casino, 670 US-95, ☏ +1 702-297-9200. Terrible's Casino has a bar. (updated Nov 2017)
  • Terrible's Roadhouse Casino, 100 N. Highway 95. (updated May 2020)

Sleep

Searchlight is a small town with RV parks and motels being the only accommodation provided. There are large hotels in Primm and Laughlin:

Connect

Go next
  • Boulder City – about 40 mi (64 km) north of Searchlight on the US-95. A town created originally to house the workers for the iconic Hoover Dam.
  • Laughlin – about 40 mi (64 km) to the southeast of Searchlight on the US-95 then SR-163. Nevada's most southern town. Has many hotel-casinos and is the third most visited location after Las Vegas and Reno.
  • Primm – about 42 mi (68 km) to the northwest of Searchlight on the SR-164 then I-15. A town on the border between Nevada and California, known for its Desperado roller coaster (the tallest in the state) and lottery store. The town has three hotel-casinos all run by Primm Valley Resorts.
Routes through Searchlight
Las Vegas ← Boulder City ←  N  S  → Laughlin → Needles
merges with ← Nipton ←  W  E  → merges with


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