View looking south from atop Hoover Dam shows rugged landscape of Nevada and Arizona with the Colorado River 726-ft. below. Photo by Todd Wessell

Hoover Dam

Visiting Man-Made Marvel Where Men Worked, Died For 50¢ An Hour

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Hoover Dam, don't pass it up.

This engineering marvel, built during the depths of the Great Depression when men risked their lives for 50 cents an hour, is located only 30 miles, via interstate highway, from rip-roaring Las Vegas. Organized day trips to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, the gigantic reservoir created by the dam, abound.

Named after Herbert Hoover, the former president who played an instrumental role in the dam's construction, the massive concrete edifice is situated on the Nevada-Arizona border. Its purpose is to regulate water that flows south within the 1,400 mile long Colordao River. Fully 1-12th of the entire country drains into the famed River whose source is primarily Western mountains. By regulating the river water, irrigation of farmland is provided and electricity for tens of millions of people is generated.

The best way to absorb the Hoover Dam experience once your arrive is by guided tour. The Discovery Tour, which costs about $11 per person, features a live presentation from a guide, a view from above of the huge generators that feed electricity to the nation's southwest, natural history exhibits and photo displays. Afterwards, you can take a walk along the top of the dam, which is also Hwy. 93 that links Nevada with Arizona. To the left is Lake Mead and the dam's four Gothic-style intake towers that feed water to turbines to generate electrical power. To the right---or south---is a spectacular view of the Colorado River 726 feet below with rocky cliffs rising on each side.

Allow for two to three hours touring the dam. The busy season is usually spring break time and May through September. Bus tours from Las Vegas can cost anywhere from $40 to $60. Driving there yourself is probably less expensive.

Once you've had your day marveling at one of the great man-made wonders of the world, it's time to get back to other wonders that Vegas has to offer.

For more information about visiting Hoover Dam, call either (toll free) 866-730-9097 or 702-494-2517. These are the phone numbers to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation which operates the Hoover Dam.