The Hoover Dam is 45 minutes from Las Vegas, Nevada and is on the border of Nevada and Arizona. The Hoover Dam was built in 1936, two years ahead of the predicted schedule. It took 21,000 men to build the Hoover Dam and 96 men lost their lives building the dam. The Hoover Dam not only prevents flooding but promotes irrigation and creates energy via hydro-electric power. The turbines at the bottom of the dam rotates from the moving water, creating electricity.
Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, is the largest reservoir in America by volume.
You can purchase tickets at the Visitor Center to see the museum and have access to the Observation Deck for as little as $10. You can also purchase an upgrade to get a guided tour, walk through the construction tunnels, and view the Power plant. Click here for tour information. You can view the Hoover Dam from the Memorial Bridge or from outside the visitor center for free.
The Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, built in 2010, is the second highest bridge in the United States.
The Memorial Bridge has ramps making it wheelchair accessible. To access the bridge, go to the “Memorial Bridge Walkway”. The bridge is secure and has a wall for pedestrians making it very safe to walk down. Click here for Hoover Dam’s area map.
The view from the Observation Deck at the Visitor Center
The view from the Memorial Bridge