HOOVER DAM
Location:
The dam is located 7 miles northeast of Boulder City, NV. Take US Highway 93 to Nevada State Route 172. The dam is on the Nevada-Arizona border. Get Directions.
Hours and Fees:
Parking Deck: 8 AM - 5:15 PM
Parking Fee: $10:00
Visitor Center: 9 AM - 4:15 PM
Tickets: $10:00; children 3 and under are free
Power Plant Tour: 9 AM - 3:45 PM
Adults: $15.00
Seniors (62+): $12.00
Juniors (16 & Under): $12:00
U.S. Military: $12.00
How to spend a day at Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Boulder City for FREE
- 7 Stops in 7 Miles -
1. Park in one of the free parking lots on the Arizona side of the dam, then enjoy the amazing architecture as you walk across the top of the dam to the stunning Art Deco sculptures on the Nevada side.
2. Relish the spectacular views of Hoover Dam and Black Canyon from 890 feet above the Colorado River on the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge walkway. The bridge is the world's tallest concrete arch span.
3. Stop by the Alan Bible Visitor Center to see a full size relief map of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and explore the plants and animals that make Lake Mead home.
4. Drop in on the desert big horn sheep as they graze at Hemenway Park in Boulder City. You'll find them there most afternoons. They're wild, so keep a safe distance!
5. Step back in time with a visit to the historic Boulder Dam Hotel in downtown Boulder City. Built in 1933, the hotel operates today with 21 guest rooms, a Hoover Dam museum, a popular restaurant and an art gallery.
6. Inside the Boulder Dam Hotel, you'll discover the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum. Their interactive exhibits tell the story of the Hoover Dam, as well as the men and women who built it and settled Boulder City.
7. WALK BC is a self-guided audio walking tour of Boulder City, the town formed to house the workers who built Hoover Dam. The tour takes you through the historic district, which is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lake Mead Activities
Historic Downtown
Colorado River Activities
Hiking & Biking Trails
Grand Canyon Tours
Desert Adventures
Excellent Restaurants
"What's in a name?" and other dam facts:
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What's in a name, you ask? Politics! The dam was originally planned for Boulder Canyon and the early 1920's blueprints were labeled Boulder Dam. Although the site for the dam was moved to Black Canyon, the dam continued to be called Boulder Dam until 1931 when Secretary of the Interior, Ray Wilbur pronounced the dam would be called Hoover Dam. In 1933, the new Secretary of the Interior under the Roosevelt administration, Harold L. Ickes, ordered the name "Boulder" be used as the official designation. Finally, in 1947, under President Harry Truman, the dam was officially named "Hoover."
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The Hoover Dam has appeared in dozens of movies, including The Silver Streak (1934), Heldorado (1946), The Amazing Colossal Man ( 1957), Ocean's Eleven (1960), Viva Las Vegas (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Superman (1978), Lost In America (1985), Universal Soldier (1992), Fools Rush In (1996), Vegas Vacation (1996), Head of State (2003), and Transformers (2007).
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Hoover Dam is 724.6 feet high and weighs 6,600,000 tons.
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The water pressure at the base of the dam is 45,000 pounds per square foot.
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The sculptures at the dam were created by Oskar J. W. Hansen who saw his work as "a monument to collective genius asserting itself in community efforts around a common need or ideal."
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There is enough concrete in Hoover Dam to build a two lane highway from Seattle, Washington to Miami, Florida or a four foot wide sidewalk around the Earth at the equator.
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Because of the dam's remote location and difficult terrain, a town had to be built to house the construction companies and their workers. That town became Boulder City, NV and currently thrives as a safe, clean community of approx. 16,000 with beautiful parks, excellent restaurants and accommodations, educational museums and sites, and an array of outdoor adventure activities. Learn more about the Hoover Dam/Boulder City area at explorebouldercity.com.
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