Hoover Dam Review

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Hoover Dam

  • Address: U.S. 93 east of Boulder City, Boulder City, NV, 89005
  • Phone: 702/494-2517
  • Fax: 702/494-2587 Security, road, and Hoover Dam crossing information
  • www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam

Fodor's Review:

67 mi northwest of Kingman via U.S. 93.

Humanity's ability to reshape the natural world—for good or ill, depending on your viewpoint—is powerfully evident in the Hoover Dam. Completed in 1935, the dam is 726 feet high (the equivalent of a 70-story building) and 660 feet thick at the base (more than the length of two football fields). Its construction required 4.4 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to build a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York. Originally referred to as Boulder Dam, the structure was later officially named Hoover Dam in recognition of President Herbert Hoover's role in the project. Look for artist Oskar Hansen's plaza sculptures, which include the 30-foot-tall Winged Figures of the Republic. Many people walk right over Hansen's most intriguing work: the plaza's terrazzo floor, inlaid with a celestial map.

The Discovery Tour allows you to see the power plant generators and other features. Guide staffers give talks every 15 minutes at each stopping point from 9 to 5:15 (early tours are less crowded). Cameras, pagers, tote bags, and cell phones are subject to X-ray screening. More than a million people take this tour annually. January and February are the slowest months.

The top of the dam is open to pedestrians during daylight hours only; approved vehicles can cross the dam 24/7. Note: all specified hours are Pacific time.

  • Cost: Hoover Dam Tour $30, Powerplant Tour $11, parking $7, visitor center $8
  • Open: Daily 9-5
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