Hoover Dam – a “dam” good attraction
Located about 40 minutes south of Las Vegas, Hoover Dam straddles the Nevada-Arizona state line, and it used to be part of the main highway through that area. Built on the Colorado River, Hoover Dam it’s one of the largest dams in the world and has been featured in the 1964 Elvis Presley movie Viva Las Vegas or more recently in the Transformers movie.
If you go by car, like us, first you should stop at the parking lot from where you can walk to the bypass bridge for an amazing view. If you park your car right at the dam it will be a 10 USD parking fee. Then you can drive through the dam to the Arizona side where you can find parking lots which are free, then you can walk back to the visitor’s centre in 7-10 mins. Meanwhile you can have a good look around. The dam tour is good and informative.
We spend more than an hour just walking on and around the dam itself. The walkway leading up to the bridge is quite wide and nicely sloped.
The state line marker is a popular photo option and it’s fun to get a good look at Lake Mead (the largest reservoir in the United States by volume) on one side and then wonder at HUGE drop down the concrete wall on the other. Great place for bungee jumping J! The views from the dam of the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge above and the Colorado River below are unbelievable, you got to be there to feel it.
You can get an idea of just how challenging Hoover Dam was to build and how many lives were lost for it. There is a gift shop with lots of the usual items, plus some Area 51 souvenirs, and a snack bar.
Tip….Don’t forget your water! It’s crazy how fast the heat dehydrates you in a matter of minutes there.
Unfortunately, we did not get to take the power plant tour, or to see the Grand Canyon National Park, both things I would have loved to do, if we had time allowed. 5-hour driving distance from the dam to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona it would have been too much for us, because we had planned a long trip for the next day.
But it was well worth the trip to the Hoover Dam even if we couldn’t enjoy the natural wonder of the Grand Canyon.
