Information
Landmark: Hoover DamCity: Las Vegas
Country: USA Nevada
Continent: North America
Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, USA Nevada, North America
Overview
Towering above the Colorado River, Hoover Dam rises as proof of what human ingenuity and grit can build.Built between 1931 and 1936 in the depths of the Great Depression, it rose to 726 feet-taller than any dam in the world when it was finished.The base of the dam stretches as wide as two football fields laid end to end, and each spillway can push through as much water as roars over Niagara Falls.They poured in so much concrete, you could lay it out and have a solid road running all the way from San Francisco to New York-gray, unbroken, mile after mile.Hoover Dam went up for three main reasons: to keep floods in check, deliver water for crops, and generate hydroelectric power that hums through the desert air.The Bureau of Reclamation took on the project mainly to control flooding, especially after heavy rains swelled the riverbanks.These days, the dam draws plenty of tourists-families snapping photos by the water, boats drifting past-bringing in a major boost to the local economy.More than seven million people flock to the dam each year, turning it into one of the Southwest’s biggest draws-some even pause to feel the cool mist rising from the water below.Before crews could break ground, they first had to divert the Colorado River, sending its muddy current around the work site.Workers carved four diversion tunnels into the canyon walls-two slicing through the Nevada side, and two burrowing into the Arizona side.Each tunnel stretched 56 feet across, and together they ran almost 16,000 feet-long enough to vanish into the dim distance.On November 13, 1932, workers sent the river rushing into two Arizona tunnels, clearing the way for construction to move forward.They poured the first batch of concrete for the dam on June 6, 1933, and set the final slab in place on May 29, 1935.They poured about 160,000 cubic yards of concrete into the dam each month, and in one record month, that number surged past 275,000-enough to bury a football field under a slab ten feet thick.They poured the concrete in five-foot sections, running cold-water pipes through it so the heat wouldn’t make it crack.Building the Hoover Dam came with its share of hurdles, from blistering desert heat to dangerous rockslides.Officials reported 112 deaths linked to the dam’s construction, some from falls off slick, rain-soaked scaffolding.The earliest loss was a Bureau of Reclamation worker in 1921, and the last came in 1935.Many of these deaths came from accidents, heatstroke, and other causes, like someone collapsing under the harsh midday sun.You can visit the Hoover Dam Visitor Center any day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., though the doors stay shut on Thanksgiving and Christmas.The last tour leaves at 4:10 p.m., and the doors shut promptly at 4:15.Visitors can choose from several ways to explore the dam, including a self-guided walk through the Visitor Center, where exhibits line the walls and wide windows frame sweeping views of the dam and the hills beyond.Guided Power Plant Tour: Spend 40 minutes inside the dam, walking past the towering turbines as they roar and churn out hydroelectric power.Guided Dam Tour: Spend an hour exploring the dam’s story and seeing how it runs, from its roaring turbines to the worn stone walls that have stood for decades.A self-guided tour of the Visitor Center runs $15, and the guided Power Plant tour costs $25 for adults or $15 for kids ages 4–16, who’ll love hearing the turbines hum.Adults pay $40 for the Guided Dam Tour, which winds past cool, echoing tunnels and sweeping views of the river.Kids three and younger can join any tour for free-no ticket needed.It’s $10 to park your car in the Hoover Dam garage, where the concrete still smells faintly warm under the afternoon sun.The Hoover Dam sits about seven miles northeast of Boulder City, Nevada, where the desert air hums with heat.To get to the dam, drive along U. S. Highway 93, then follow Nevada State Route 172 past the sun-baked hills.The dam sits squarely on the line between Nevada and Arizona, where you can look one way into rugged desert hills and the other toward the open sweep of the plains.While you’re at Hoover Dam, take a walk across the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge for a sweeping view of the dam and the Colorado River shimmering below.Soaring higher than any other concrete arch span on the planet, the bridge gives you a striking view of the dam’s stone curves gleaming in the sunlight.Just down the street, the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum invites you to explore hands-on exhibits that bring to life the dam’s construction and the grit of the workers who hauled stone under a blazing desert sun.The museum sits inside the historic Boulder Dam Hotel, a 1933 building that once welcomed dam workers and travelers carrying dusty suitcases.If you’re into the outdoors, you can hike dusty desert trails, snap photos of sweeping canyon views, and wander through the nearby Lake Mead National Recreation Area.You can spend the day on the lake boating or casting a line, with the water glinting in the sun.Visiting Hoover Dam gives you a striking look at one of America’s greatest feats of engineering, where the sun glints off massive concrete walls holding back the Colorado River.Whether you’re drawn to its rich history, its striking architecture, or just the sweeping view of sunlight glinting off the water, the dam promises an experience you won’t forget.
