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Las Vegas Shows and Entertainment:
Hoover Dam Show Tickets and Reviews |
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Hoover Dam
Reviewed December 6, 2000
by Ted Newkirk
 Hoover
Dam has often been referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. If you have flown in
from the east or the south, you might have seen it from the air, but nothing can compare
to seeing it up close and in person.
Built between 1931 - 1935 to harness the flow of the Colorado River, Hoover Dam is
primarily responsible for storing the water used by people and agriculture in the desert
southwest including Arizona, California, and Nevada. California is entitled to 4,400,000
acre-feet, Arizona 2,800,000 acre-feet, and Nevada, 300,000 acre-feet a year from the
river, and the dam stores it for constant release regardless of season. Sitting only 30
miles from the Strip, it is also a top tourist attraction for Las Vegas visitors.
Visiting the dam is a unique experience! With US 93 running across it, you are
completely free to roam on the top of the dam. The view over the edge 550+ feet in the air
and down Black Canyon on the Colorado River is worth the trip all by itself. The visitor's
center contains quite a bit of historical and interesting photos and exhibits.
For those without transportation, click to view our Hoover Dam tours. If you have drove to town
or are renting a car, the dam is easy to find. Head south on The Strip to I-215. Go east
on I-215 for about 10 miles until the freeway ends at a set of stoplights. Continue
straight about 1/2 mile (I-215 turns into Lake Mead Dr.) to the junction with US 93/95 and
head south. Stay on US 93 for the next 20 miles or so (through and past Boulder City). US
93 crosses the dam so once on US 93, you can't get lost.
An alternate, more scenic route is to skip turning off to US 93/95 and stay on Lake
Mead drive. Just stay on it (there will only be one fork in the road: veer right) -- it is
named Lake Mead Drive for a reason! This route is about 10 miles longer but skirts the
lake with some great views before returning to US 93 just a couple miles from the dam.
There is a toll station collecting $5 per car on this route.
IMPORTANT: Hoover Dam is a very popular attraction and US 93 also carries thousands of
cars each day as the main road southeast out of Las Vegas. Plus, the dam is at a lower
elevation than Las Vegas, resulting in temperatures that can be 10 degrees hotter than in
the city. This can be brutal late spring to early fall. Also, the tours are usually the
least crowded and most available early in the day. Hit the road early. Grab a cheap buffet
breakfast at the Railroad Pass Casino (on your left just after crossing the railroad
tracks as you head out of town on US 93/95) and get there early to beat the crowds and the
heat.
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