We were in Las Vegas for an extended trip and if you know the city, you are aware that most of the stuff in the city gets steam after dusk. We were looking for some day-time getaways from Las Vegas and Hoover Dam came up as a very viable option - near the city, an engineering curio, beautiful scenery and popular with tourists. We decided to cover Hoover Dam along with our day-trip to Grand Canyon. As we were making the trip on September 2, 2019, the last day of the Labor Day Weekend, we decided to visit Hoover Dam in the evening during our return from the Grand Canyon to avoid the morning rush - everyone leaving Las Vegas after the weekend would probably stop-over at the site on their way. If you just want to cover Hoover Dam, a quick half-day getaway from Las Vegas should be enough for your trip.
Hoover Dam - An Introduction
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| The Strong Walls of the Dam |
Hoover Dam is a modern marvel located over the Colorado River. This is a 700 feet high arch-concrete structure of a gravity dam and spreads across areas of two states - Nevada and Arizona. The lake was built to impound Lake Mead, one of the largest water reservoirs in the US at about 250 square miles. The lake along with the Black Canyon provided a perfect setting of building a large dam. Though the dam was initially planned over Boulder Canyon and was supposed to be named after that. In fact, the tussle over the name of the dam ensued until very long when finally a Congressional Resolution sealed the current name of the dam. Hoover Dam, which was recognized in 1984 as a National Civil Engineering Landmark.
The dam is well developed from a tourism point of view - in fact, the tourism angle was incorporated from the architecture stage itself. The makers provided interesting face to the dam and also included two pillars each within the two states it covers and added a clock to show the local time of each state, both of them being in the same timezone is just a coincident. There are viewpoints at every pillar positions to allow a better view of the reservoir and the dam's walls. Lake Mead also is a popular site for boating, fishing, and swimming; America’s first national recreation area was established there in 1964.
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| Lake Mead and Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge |
Our Experience @ Hoover Dam
As we approached the dam on a wry weekday evening, the strategic importance of the dam became evident. We were stopped by park officers to check our vehicle asked a couple of questions - only then we were allowed to proceed to the dam. This was the case with every vehicle intending to access the strategically important establishment. This is also important as the dam is federal property and there are special rules that govern federal establishments that supersede state statutes. We took the path through the scenic road leading up to the dam and saw the board for visitor's parking towards our left. There is multi-level parking where visitors can park the vehicle for a nominal fee (it was $10 when we visited) and walk across the dam. The parking can be tight during a rush but we had quite a few spots open and hence found it relatively easy. We took the elevator to the ground level to exit from the parking.
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| The Mandatory Picture - A Nice Backdrop and the Model |
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| Lake Mead (the Reservoir) and Arizona Pillar (the Clock Tower) |
As we left the parking building we saw a gift shop and eatery towards the courtyard on our right. This was a place to relax and enjoy some snacks if you arrive here like us - at the fag end of a long drive. So we took a small break to replenish ourselves and fuel our bodies before embarking on our exploration of the dam. Outside the parking towards your left is a memorial in remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the construction of the dam. While it may be difficult to imagine the huge loss of life in modern-day construction, this dam was built during the great depression when technology was limited and construction was a dangerous activity for any project, let alone a project of such a mammoth scale.
As you travel on the road over the dam, you have a perfect opportunity to admire the scenic backdrop of the lake. The huge walls are a charming sight and offer a humbling experience. You would wonder what man has achieved through the application of mind in leveraging the best of nature. I still wonder the reason behind the two different clocks on the towers each in the state of Arizona and Nevada as both of them follow the same time zone. It either is there to satiate tourist hype or the makers thought that one day the states may come to follow different time zones. If you are up to it, we would recommend a bit of longer walk past just the dam walls and take the route around the other end and see the lake from behind. This brings to display the huge "blow-horn-like" arrangement to take in the water and provide it with a special impact to control the movement. Also, if you visiting in the evenings, the views of the curved roads far below are great sights once the lights on them are put on.
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| The Memorial |
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| The Memorial Flag |
Explore the tallest concrete-arch bridge
Until recently the road over the dam was part of Interstate 93 when it was realized that the narrow two-lane road is dangerous and severely incapable of handling the growing congestion. It was then thought to build a bridge to bypass the dam on the interstate. Thus came into existence, the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge - the tallest concrete-arch bridge in the world and also the second-highest overall bridge. If you are inclined, walking along the pedestrian pathways offers spectacular views of the forests and the lake. If not, driving across the bridge is a great experience. The bridge actually also acts as a great backdrop to the dam.
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| Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge |
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We spent a couple of hours exploring the dam and its surroundings and then started on our return journey to Las Vegas. It was another 45-minutes of a drive before we were in the parking lot of our hotel and proceeded to our room looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Have you been to the Hoover Dam? Do you have stories to share from your visit? Would you like to know more if you are still planning a trip there? Drop-in a word and we are here to help!
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| Parting Shot - Nevada Clock Tower |
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