Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, Las Vegas

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I've toured the Hoover Dam a number of times over the years and while some remains the same, the tours for me just get better. The years when you were not allowed into the dam itself were not as good and much depends on the tour "guide" you get. On my last trip, I lucked out with a very old guide that had been touring for many year. He enjoyed every minute of the tour and as such so did his audience.

The 4 year construction of the dam changed history in a number of areas from the construction itself to the landmarks around the dam. Power from the dam has increase over the years but for 10 years (1939-49) it was the largest hydroeclectric plant in the world.

It's probably one of the few Federal Projects that has actually paid for itself. The electricity from the 17 generation units is sold to the western US.

The Dam is 726.4 feet high and 1244 feet wite at the top. It consumed 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete to build. The power plant itself is only 650 feet long, 55 feet wide and 75 feet high. The plant currently generates 2080 megawatts of electriciy.

Touring the facility is an easy drive from Las Vegas by car or (using locally available discount tickets) a $35 tour by coach. The tour by coach takes 4-5 hours and avoids the hastle of driving what can be heavy traffic.

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Situated right at the borders of Nevada and Arizona, don't miss visiting Hoover Dam. Better still, you may also opt to pass by the dam as you make a visit to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. All of these can actually be done in a day with Las Vegas serving as your jumpoff point.

A two-hour tour is being provided for a fee but if you are just after photoshoots, you would have lots of material just walking along the top of the dam. Try to get there early in the morning to avoid the crowds.

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If you are taking US Route 93 bypass road going to the Hoover Dam, there is a small round about road there that leads to a vista point overlooking Lake Mead.

lake mead is a man made lake as a consequence of Making the Hoover Dam and is the largest reservoir of water in the United States and is part of the Colorado River, is located about about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona and it extends for 112 miles beyond the Hoover Dam. It was named after Elwood Mead and the Lake has become one of the landmarks in visiting Southern Nevada area and in the lake, there are various things to do and water activities such as fishing, boating, sailing and other water sports.

There are nine main access points to the lake. On the west are three roads from the Las Vegas metropolitan area (of which US route 93 is the fastest route). Access from the northwest from Interstate 15 is through Valley of Fire State Park and the Moapa River Indian Reservation to the Overton arm of the lake. Lake Mead offers many types of recreation to locals and visitors. Boating is the most popular. Additional activities include fishing, water skiing, swimming and sunbathing. There are five marinas on the lake: Forever Resorts at Callville Bay, Echo Bay, and Temple Bar Marina; and Las Vegas Boat Harbor.

The Lake Mead Visitor Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

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lake mead is a man made lake as a consequence of Making the Hoover Dam and is the largest reservoir of water in the United States and is part of the Colorado River, is located about about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona and it extends for 112 miles beyond the Hoover Dam. It was named after Elwood Mead and the Lake has become one of the landmarks in visiting Southern Nevada area and in the lake, there are various things to do and water activities such as fishing, boating, sailing and other water sports.

There are nine main access points to the lake. On the west are three roads from the Las Vegas metropolitan area (of which US route 93 is the fastest route). Access from the northwest from Interstate 15 is through Valley of Fire State Park and the Moapa River Indian Reservation to the Overton arm of the lake. Lake Mead offers many types of recreation to locals and visitors. Boating is the most popular. Additional activities include fishing, water skiing, swimming and sunbathing. There are five marinas on the lake: Forever Resorts at Callville Bay, Echo Bay, and Temple Bar Marina; and Las Vegas Boat Harbor.

The Lake Mead Visitor Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

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Part two of my Walking at Hoover Dam tips with more pictures.

Walking at Hoover Dam from Arizona Side to Nevada Side and Vice Versa is free unless you want to experience the inside of the hoover dam which has fees as listed here at my tips below. Walking at the dam is a wonderful experience as you would see part of Make Mead and the dam below. Parking is mostly free is you get the free parking slots at the Arizona side, however the visitor center at the Nevada Side Charges Parking fees and some of the Vista Sites at the Arizona Side also charges parking fees.

The Visitors Center:

OPERATING HOURS:

Parking Garage: Open 8:00 a.m. -- Close 6:00 p.m.,

Visitor Center: Open 9:00 a.m. -- Close 6:00 p.m. Tickets sold until 5:15 p.m. The Hoover Dam Visitor Center is open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

ADMISSION FEES: Parking fee: $8.00 (cash only), Adults (Ages 17-61) $15.00, Seniors (62+) $12.00, Juniors (Ages 7-16) $8.00, U.S. Military and Dependents (Adults & Seniors) $12.00
Children (Ages 0-6) Free

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Walking at Hoover Dam from Arizona Side to Nevada Side and Vice Versa is free unless you want to experience the inside of the hoover dam which has fees as listed here at my tips below. Walking at the dam is a wonderful experience as you would see part of Make Mead and the dam below. Parking is mostly free is you get the free parking slots at the Arizona side, however the visitor center at the Nevada Side Charges Parking fees and some of the Vista Sites at the Arizona Side also charges parking fees.

The Visitors Center:

OPERATING HOURS:

Parking Garage: Open 8:00 a.m. -- Close 6:00 p.m.,

Visitor Center: Open 9:00 a.m. -- Close 6:00 p.m. Tickets sold until 5:15 p.m. The Hoover Dam Visitor Center is open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

ADMISSION FEES: Parking fee: $8.00 (cash only), Adults (Ages 17-61) $15.00, Seniors (62+) $12.00, Juniors (Ages 7-16) $8.00, U.S. Military and Dependents (Adults & Seniors) $12.00
Children (Ages 0-6) Free

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Before the O'Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge was finished last year, Hoover Dam was a bottleneck of US Route 93 since it is just a two lane road and since it is a popular tourist site as well, traffic congestion ensues but since late last year, there has been not much traffic along the dam hence driving along it is pure pleasure since the maximum speed limit is just 15 miles per hour and there are no tolls too. Once you cruise along it, you can park at the vista points at both the Arizona and Nevada sides but some vista points at the Arizona side will charge a parking fee while others are free. After the Hoover dam at the Arizona side, it connects again to US Route 93.

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Nevada is at Pacific Standard Time (PST) while Arizona is on Rocky Mountain Time (RMT) so that there will be a time difference of 1 hour once you cross the bridge from Nevada to Arizona but since Arizona don't follow the Daylight Savings Time, when you visit the hoover dam during the Daylight Savings Time Periods (from early march to late october) the Arizona time and Nevada Time will both be the same.

The Visitors Center:

OPERATING HOURS:

Parking Garage: Open 8:00 a.m. -- Close 6:00 p.m.,

Visitor Center: Open 9:00 a.m. -- Close 6:00 p.m. Tickets sold until 5:15 p.m. The Hoover Dam Visitor Center is open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

ADMISSION FEES: Parking fee: $8.00 (cash only), Adults (Ages 17-61) $15.00, Seniors (62+) $12.00, Juniors (Ages 7-16) $8.00, U.S. Military and Dependents (Adults & Seniors) $12.00
Children (Ages 0-6) Free