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Hoover Dam Tours

Hoover Dam Tours

Hoover Dam Overview

You can’t visit Las Vegas and not see the “best dam tour” ever!!!

The Hoover Dam (originally known as the Boulder Dam) is one of the most intriguing engineering feats in America, which was constructed during the Great Depression, that both kids and adults will enjoy.

With over 1 million annual visitors, the Hoover Dam offers visitors picturesque scenes of Lake Mead and the Colorado River.

Click here to view Hoover Dam Museum / Tour discounts.

At twilight, Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona

How to Get to the Hoover Dam

Located approximately 30 miles (50 kilometers) and an hour south of The Strip near the Arizona – Nevada border.
 
It’s an easy drive unless it’s summertime… if it’s summer then expect traffic delays. (So pack extra snacks and activities to keep the kids happy in the car ride there.)

Parking can be found near the visitors center.

Tourists walk through a rock tunnel in the Hoover Dam power plant near Boulder City, Nevada

Hoover Dam Tour Hours and Ticket Prices

The Hoover Dam Tour offers a unique way to see, learn and appreciate what Hoover Dam is all about. This tour offers a guided exploration into lesser-known parts of the dam and lasts longer than the Powerplant Tour.

Note: The Dam Tour includes a 1-hour guided tour of the powerplant and passageways within the dam itself, and admission to the Visitor Center; the Powerplant Tour includes a 30-minute guided tour of the powerplant only, and admission to the Visitor Center.

The first Dam Tour is offered at 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Time); tours continue every half hour throughout the day until 3:30 p.m. This guided tour is offered on a first come-first served basis (only 20 people allowed on each tour) and lasts about one hour. The route requires over a mile of walking on concrete or similar hard surfaces.

No reservations are taken for this tour; tickets must be purchased at Hoover Dam (credit cards and cash accepted).

Click here to view Hoover Dam Museum / Tour discounts.

Category
Price
Adults, Seniors, Juniors & U.S. Military $30.00
NO children under age 8 permitted
 

Visitor Center Admission – This option allows entry into the Visitor Center WITHOUT access to the tours of the dam or power plant.

Category
Price
Adults, Seniors, Juniors & U.S. Military $10.00
Children ages 3 and under Free

Visitor Center Admission Tickets are available for purchase inside the Hoover Dam Visitor Center every day, except Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Visitor Center tickets must be purchased by 4:15 pm for access.

The large turbines in the Hoover Dam power plant near Boulder City, Nevada

Hoover Dam Tour Tips

The busiest season at Hoover Dam is in the summer from Memorial Day until Labor Day.

The slowest months for visitation are January and February.

The least crowded time of day for tours is from opening until 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. until closing.

During the summer months, Vegas and the surrounding areas can reach upwards of 110 degrees.

Even though it may be hot outside, inside the damn it stays nice and cool so you don’t have to worry about combating the heat the entire tour.

Bring sun protection, comfortable shoes, and plenty of water (at least 1 liter per person for every 2 hours).

A concession stand is located at the base of the dam’s parking garage and offers a variety of food and drink options.

The Hoover Dam Visitors Center and power plant tour are wheelchair accessible, but the dam tour is not accessible.

Complimentary parking is available for wheelchair users.

The Hoover Dam was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Built between 1931 and 1936 during the depression era on the border between Arizona and Nevada. The Hoover Dam was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt but is named after former president Herbert Hoover.

In order to build it in a timely manner, engineers decided to pour concrete into sections allowing it to cure and solidify faster. If all the concrete was poured at once, it would’ve taken around 125 years for the concrete to cool down and cure. For those keeping count, the concrete would still be curing to this day and it wouldn’t be done until 2061!

If you really want to WOW the family, check into scheduling a Hoover Dam helicopter tour.

Famous Hoover Dam at Lake Mead Nevada and Arizona Border United States.

BOULDER CITY, NV – OCT 26: Hoover Dam at the border of Arizona and Nevada, as seen on Oct 26, 2015. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Hoover Dam Tours