Trip to Hoover Dam from Las Vegas
by John Wilson
We made a quick day trip out of going to Hoover Dam. The drive is only about 45 minutes (tops) and you get to see a lot of Las Vegas off “the Strip” including a great view of Henderson from Highway 515.
We went very early in the morning and were literally the first car in the parking lot. NOTE: We drove directly into the parking lot from the road that takes you into Hoover Dam, however, as we were leaving that afternoon there was a very long line, 200 or more cars deep, waiting to get in. I highly recommend you get up early so you don’t have to wait. If you go early in the week of your trip, you may still be on EST. Be careful on the drive in as their are several sharp turns, poor visibility and no guard rails.
We walked across the top of Hoover Dam first, since the museum/tour didn’t open until 9a. On the walk across you will see the memorial to the 112 people that died during the construction of the dam (one was a visitor). You will also see the divide between Nevada time and Arizona time, as well as a great view of both sides of the dam. the It’s a relatively short walk, and if you go far enough you can walk into Arizona. I thought the state line was actually on the bridge, but the sign made it seem as if it was actually a good 200 yards on the other side of the river.
The $11 tour of the dam was not the most informative tour I’ve ever been on, but worth taking since you’re already there. It explained some of the history of the bridge through a short movie then walked you through the caves to the power plant. You literally walk through carved-out caves to get to each part of the tour, so if you are at all claustrophobic, you should probably take a pass on this tour. One lady in our tour turned around because so many people were crammed into the elevators, and because the caves are a tight fit (the pathways are probably 10×10.
The Hoover Dam is incredibly difficult to take competent pictures of because it is so big and you can only get so far from it. Be sure to go to the top of the Visitor’s Center to have your best chance of a good photograph.
The last piece of the tour worth noting is the near completion of the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. When that bridge is complete, you will no longer be able to drive across the Hoover Dam. This project has been in action for years, but was accelerated by the events of September 11. On the top floor of the Visitor’s Center there is an entire section devoted to the bridge.
Parker waiting in the “caves” for the next part of the tour
On your way back to Las Vegas, be sure to stop and take a look at Lake Mead on the left just a quarter-mile past the guard post.
Below are a few pictures from the visit. You can see the remainder of the set on my Hoover Dam picture set on Flickr.
The Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam Bypass near completion.
We stopped at Tony’s Pizza in Boulder on the way back to Las Vegas.
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