What to see and do at Hoover Dam, Arizona and Nevada

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the Nevada and Arizona.

It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression.  It creates Lake Mead which is the largest reservoir by volume in the United States. Hoover Dam is a popular tourist attraction, and visitors can take tours of the dam, including the power plant and visitor center.

On 12/15/2015, traveling from Las Vegas on I-11, we took the Hoover Dam exit and first stopped at the Lake Mead Overlook. Then we continued to the Boulder Dam bridge parking lot.  From there, you can take the trail to the Callahan-Tillman Memorial Bridge.  Once there, you can walk out on the bridge where you have a great view of the Hoover Dam.   After returning to the car, we continued down the road to the dam.

The  Hoover Dam was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The dam is named after President Herbert Hoover, who played a key role in its construction. The primary purpose of Hoover Dam is to control the flow of the Colorado River and provide water and hydroelectric power to the Southwest United States. The dam creates Lake Mead, which is the largest reservoir in the United States in terms of water capacity. 

The construction of the dam was a monumental engineering feat, and it required the work of thousands of laborers over a period of five years. The dam itself stands at 726 feet tall and is 1,244 feet long. The dam's base is 660 feet wide, and it contains 4.36 million cubic yards  of concrete.

The Hoover Dam Bypass, also known as the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, was constructed downstream from the dam and provides a way for motorists to cross the Colorado River without driving over the top of the dam itself.

Looking for things to do?  Viator offers numerous tours in the Las Vegas area. Click here for details.

View of Lake Mead which is the largest water reservoir in the United States. 

The abandoned railway line near Lake Mead.

The Nevada Arizona state line near the Hoover Dam at the trail to the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge walkway.

Views of the Hoover Dam from the the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge walkway.

Hoover Dam visitor center.

View of the the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge from the Hoover Dam