A Drive to Hoover Dam: An Engineering Wonder

In my last trip of 2015, during Christmas Holidays to Las Vegas, Nevada, we went out of Vegas for a very special road trip to one of the seven modern civil engineering wonders of the United States – Hoover Dam. It is just 35 miles away from Vegas strip and drive of around 45 minutes. However you need to allot an extra 30 to 45 minutes to arrival time at the Hoover Dam due to the security check point. The line of vehicles easily spanned over two miles, but it’s completely worth it.

Before I start describing about it, check out this breathtaking view of scenic beauty around Hoover Dam and get the feel of it!

We reached Hoover Dam bright and early.  Built in the 1930s, Hoover Dam straddles the mighty Colorado River, which forms the border between the states of Nevada and Arizona. Originally called Boulder Dam, the structure changed the face of a multistate desert region in the West. The dam harnessed the power of the Colorado River to generate electricity and stored water in Lake Mead, creating a popular recreation area, supplying domestic and agricultural water to millions and controlling flooding downstream.

Hoover Dam 13

Hoover Dam is named after Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States of America. It is 726 feet high, 45 feet thick at the top and 660 feet at the bottom, and is larger than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. One of the interesting fact about this dam is that it is filled with 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to pave a strip 16 feet wide and 8 inches thick from San Francisco to New York City.

An elegant structure of concrete and steel, Hoover Dam sits wedged between the high, dark cliffs of Black Canyon. Contrasted against the blue-green water, its light-colored face dazzling in the desert sun, the beautiful dam appears frail despite its massive size.

Damming the Colorado River created Lake Mead, a National Recreation Area managed by the National Park Service. The lake offers boating, fishing, camping, house-boating, water-skiing and swimming.

These are two of four 338 foot high Intake Towers that stand in the deep waters of Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam. They siphon water to the power plant. Two towers are on the Nevada side and two on the Arizona side.

Half of Hoover Dam is on the Pacific Time Zone and the other half is in Mountain Time Zone. Arizona is one of the exceptions to the rule when it comes to observing daylight saving time in the United States.

The Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, is a spectacular four-lane highway bridge arching across the Colorado River. This bridge opened in late 2010 and carries traffic between Nevada and Arizona. An impressive feat of engineering, the supporting twin-rib arch span echoes the elegant curves of the dam itself.

This bronze statue on a rock formation is called High Scaler and it sits outside the High Scaler Cafe. High scalers were the daring workers who hung from ropes on the canyon walls as they drilled with jackhammers and packed dynamite.

Hoover Dam also offers tour well worth to go down to see the generators. Crawl out a ventilation shaft and look downstream from the dam and see the incredibly steep maintenance stairs. Lots of story and knowledge from the guides if you want it. The new dam-bypass bridge offers a great view of the area, so even if you’ve been before be sure to visit again now as the bridge is open! For more details on available tours, schedule timings and entire excursion cost, you can check here.

The scenic beauty around Hoover Dam is breathtaking. You simply can’t stop yourself clicking endless pictures. 

I love selfies and never forget to miss it when there is such a spectacular view. 😉

A must see man made wonder if you’re visiting Las Vegas. A modern marvel constructed without the use of computers or high tech equipment’s. You have no idea how massive a structure it is until you actually see it. 

Do share your experience if you have visited Hoover Dam or planning to visit in the comments below?

Happy Traveling.
Ana

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35 Comments

    1. Stella Chiu

      January 22, 2016

      Hi, Ana
      Your post made me so sorry for my self that I did not visit the Dam when we lived in Arizona few years ago.
      your post covered all the important aspect about the Dam. i loved the photos. they are beautiful.
      Nice article, Ana
      -Stella Chiu

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    1. Susannah

      January 22, 2016

      This is so cool! I’m jealous that you got to visit the Hoover Dam! It’s definitely a place I want to visit someday!

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    1. Homegrown Adventures

      January 22, 2016

      Girl. I loved Hoover Dam. We came here many years ago. It is such an amazing place to visit. We came before the bridge was built. Need to revisit this place with our kiddos. 🙂

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    1. Mansi Padhya

      January 22, 2016

      Hi Ana !

      Great pics you uploaded. All these pics are incredible! Love your photos. One day I’d like to travel the US and this is now on my list of places to visit.
      Thank you for sharing this. 🙂

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    1. Dia

      January 21, 2016

      This is one of those places you just need to visit at least once. Selfie game is strong! I can’t wait to go myself one day but that traffic looks rough.

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