That's one damn big dam - Hoover Dam
Written: Jun 15 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: one of a kind structure, beautiful scenery
Cons: offical tour is pretty lame nowadays due to security
The Bottom Line: Hoover Dam is worth at least a half-day of your time, it’s not too often you get to see structures of this size and magnitude
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| jps246's Full Review: Hoover Dam and Lake Mead |
Driving across the desert, the road curves around and starts dropping to what can only be described as an incredible feat of engineering, Hoover Dam. First-time (and even returning) visitors will be amazed at how the dam fills the Colorado River’s gorge and by how large the dam simply is. Hoover Dam is an imposing presence and something that is worth seeing if you’re in the southern Nevada area.
Where’s the dam?
Hoover Dam straddles the Colorado River, which separates southern Nevada and Arizona. It also straddles two time zones – so you could technically have one foot an hour ahead or behind the other.
The dam is about 30 miles east of Las Vegas on US Highway 93. The road itself travels across Hoover Dam to cross into Arizona. Because of security concerns since September 11th tractor trailers and other select vehicles are prohibited from crossing the dam (they have to detour south through Laughlin, NV). Cars and campers can still cross the dam, but you are subject to searches before crossing.
If you don’t have a car and you’re in the Vegas area, there are innumerable bus tours that are run from Las Vegas to Hoover Dam.
Keep in mind
Hoover Dam is in the desert. It gets extremely hot. I was there in August and it was 115 degrees. At these temperatures you can get dehydrated very fast and can suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke. You should have plenty of water with you and you should pace yourself wherever you are going to stop yourself from overheating. Sunscreen or sun block is also a good idea because the sun can be very strong.
What’s at the dam?
Beyond just driving through the gorge and across the dam, visitors can stop at the Bureau of Reclamation’s visitor center for Hoover Dam. While simply driving through and stopping at the overlooks along the road give you some awesome views of the dam and an idea of its size, stopping at the Visitor Center gives you a chance to learn about the history, construction and operation of the dam.
The Visitor Center and the parking for the center are located on the Nevada side of the river. If you are coming from Nevada, the parking structure is the first building you will see on your left. Parking is $5 a day and they only accept cash.
After parking, you will walk down to the Visitor Center by either taking several flights of stairs (depending on where in the parking structure you parked) or by an elevator. The parking garage and center are handicap accessible.
At this point of your visit to Hoover Dam, you have two choices: you can pay to take the “Hoover Dam Discovery Tour;” or explore the dam on your own. If you decide to not take the tour, you will miss out seeing certain areas, such as the electric generation galleys inside of the dam and you won’t have the benefit of rangers providing interpretive information at each location.
The Tour
If you decide to pay for the Discovery Tour ($10 for adults & $5 for kids), you’ll get a somewhat more intimate view of the dam, then if you had just walked around the site.
The tour groups are limited to 50 people, so on busy days there could be quite a wait. They will start a tour every time they have reached a group with 50 people. The last time I was there, we waited about 15 minutes before the tour we had signed up with started. The tour is setup as a series of “stations,” where a ranger is stationed at each site and talks only about that stop.
The tour starts with a movie on the history and construction of the dam. It’s interesting, though I would imagine someone with only a passing interest in the dam might not be all that interested. However it does give you a good idea of the work that it took to build Hoover Dam and you’ll be amazed by some of the facts presented.
Following the movie, you’re greeted by a Ranger who goes over who the Bureau of Reclamation is, what they do and how they manage Hoover Dam. Luckily it’s a fairly short stop along the tour because it’s not that interesting unless you are a bureaucrat.
Next up is a ride down an elevator into the dam itself (actually the gorge wall). When the elevator’s doors open, you are greeted by a Ranger who leads you through a tunnel carved from the rock of the Canyon to a balcony overlooking the power generation room. This is a huge room filled with the turbines powered by the falling water. Because you are so far removed from the equipment, it can be hard to get a good look and you’ll find yourself wishing they would take you closer. It can also be quite loud, so you should stay close to the Ranger to make sure that you can hear them.
After taking the Elevator back, instead of getting off where you got on, you are taken to the upper level of the visitor center to the observation platform. In addition to the views themselves, this area is filled with a few small exhibits on the dam and the area surrounding the dam. The exhibits are fairly interesting but a bit overcrowded and repetitive. After walking around for a few minutes, I didn’t bother with anymore exhibits, instead I headed over to the viewing area for the dam. From the windows of the observation platform, you can look straight down to the base of the dam. You can see the structures down there and you can see the water powering its way out of these structures. It gives you a good idea of exactly how big Hoover Dam is and how much power it represents.
Beyond here, the tour also includes stops at the old visitor center, the winged statue and either the Arizona or Nevada intake structures. At the intake structures, a Ranger will take you out to the structure itself along a narrow walkway. Once you’re out there, you can get a fairly good look at Lake Mead. The old visitor center holds photographs of the dam, from construction to today. There’s also a small snack bar located here that serves ice cream and refreshments. At the time I was last there, local Native American artisans had small displays setup throughout the old center and were selling local arts and crafts. Finally the winged statue and surrounding star chart are interesting to look at, but beyond maybe a picture or two, isn’t that interesting. There’s also a gift shop that sells typical tourist stuff, along with books and videos on Hoover Dam.
What else?
The top of the dam is open to pedestrians and you are free to take as long as you want walking along the sidewalks, looking over the dam and enjoying the scenery. You can also visit the various overlooks that are provided along the sides of the road on both the Arizona and Nevada sides of the gorge. You should probably drive and pull into each overlook instead of trying to walk. Besides the heat, the road is very narrow and traffic can be quite dangerous as there are no separate sidewalks. Generally the overlooks are not that crowded and make up a good alternate if the visitor center is full and you can’t get a tour.
My Thoughts
After hearing stories about the Hoover Dam tour from my parents, where you were taken down into the very heart of the dam and the power generation facilities, the new “Discovery Tour” is a complete letdown and disappointment. Beyond the quick trip down to the balcony overlooking the generators, you really aren’t shown anything beyond the outside of the dam. I know this is because of security concerns post 9-11, but it is a disappointment nonetheless.
On the tour you will get a good look at the dam and the exhibits and movie are enjoyable, but you won’t get a close-up look at anything beyond the pictures in the exhibits.
Even though it might not be perfect, at the moment it’s all that Hoover Dam offers and for first time visitors who never have had a tour, I couldn’t not recommend the tour to them. If you’ve already gone on a tour prior to 9-11, save yourself some grief and don’t bother unless you have friends or family with you that hasn’t seen the dam.
If you don’t take the tour, take the time to walk the top of the dam and to stop at each of the overlooks along the road. They will give you a good idea of the size and magnitude of the dam, without taking the tour.
For More Information
The Bureau of Reclamation maintains a website for Hoover Dam at http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/. The site provides basic information the dam, hours of operation, special news, fees and other pertinent information.
Final Thoughts
Hoover Dam is big and impressive.
While it may not be a destination you plan a vacation around, it’s worth a visit if you are in the general area. It’s only about 40 minutes from Las Vegas and is also easily accessible from western Arizona.
The official tour of the dam isn’t like it used to be because of security concerns, but it is fun and interesting nonetheless. It will give you a good idea of the dam’s history, its construction and help you get a handle on the dam today. Should you not take the tour, it’s worth stopping at the various overlooks on both the Arizona and Nevada side of the river, along with taking the time to walk across the top of the dam.
Hoover Dam is worth at least a half-day of your time, it’s not too often you get to see structures of this size and magnitude.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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