Overview

Hype:

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume when full. The dam is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 30 mi southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The dam's generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Hoover Dam is a major tourist attraction, with 7 million tourists a year. The heavily traveled US 93 ran along the dam's crest until October 2010, when the Hoover Dam Bypass opened.

Time:

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Features:

Architecture
Lakes and Reservoirs

Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam

Location

Closest City or Region: Boulder City, Nevada

Coordinates: 36.016292, -114.737502

View larger map

April 7, 2023 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Matt Laurendeau, Amanda Laurendeau, Alex Laurendeau, Caleb Laurendeau, Rose Laurendeau, Lila Laurendeau, Trey Laurendeau,

Story

We drove out to the Hoover dam first thing in the morning. We got tickets for the power plant tour and walk through the visitor center.

Then we went to the parking lot and had another picnic lunch sitting on the ground. We had about a hundred people give us crusty looks when they tried to pull into the stall that was open only to discover that we were sitting in it eating lunch. It was a little bit of a game on our end to see how many people could scowl at us.

After lunch, we went on our tour down to the power plant. It was pretty sweet. Then we walked across the Hoover dam to the Arizona side and then back, fighting the crowds because one of the sidewalks was closed due to a lming project.

Tara, Matt, and a couple of their kids made a quick detour to the visitor center while the rest of us went to get our vehicles from the parking stalls, we met in in the middle and then drove as fast as we could back to Las Vegas so we could make it to our magic show in time.