Hoover Dam

About Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam was completed in 1936 after five years of construction by a consortium of contractors known as Six Companies. The 726-foot arch-gravity dam tamed the Colorado River, created Lake Mead, and supplies hydroelectric power to Nevada, Arizona, and Southern California. It is a National Historic Landmark and a designated Civil Engineering Monument. Two tours are sold at the visitor center: the Powerplant Tour (30 minutes, generators only) and the Dam Tour (one hour, generators plus inspection tunnels). The Dam Tour requires advance reservation and is not available for under-8s. The Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, a 2010 bypass for US-93, runs 900 feet above the river immediately downstream — pedestrian walkway gives the best photo angle of the dam itself. 35 minutes from the Strip via US-93 through Boulder City. Parking on the Nevada side is paid; Arizona side parking is free but adds a ten-minute walk across the bridge.