Hoover Dam is located about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas and is generally about a 45-minute drive. However, traffic is heavier in the summer and on holidays, so delays may occur. Try to get to the dam early in the day when traffic is lighter. All vehicles are required to stop at a security checkpoint before crossing the dam. Passenger vehicles are able to drive across the dam. On the Nevada side, there is a parking area overlooking Lake Mead where you can stop and take pictures of the lake created by the dam. Drive across to Arizona and there is a lookout area and gift shop that provides a break before making the return trip across the dam. There is no stopping or parking allowed on the dam itself. Be sure to watch for pedestrian traffic.
A parking garage is located on the Nevada side, across from the Visitor Center. The parking garage is open from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Pacific Time daily. Cars with trailers, over-sized vehicles and recreational vehicles are not allowed in the garage. There are several free parking areas on the Arizona side of the dam. There is no parking on the dam itself.
There are pedestrian walkways located on both sides of the road along the top of the dam. View the dam face, Lake Mead, the Colorado River and the massive intake towers from these sidewalks. Use these walkways to get to the Visitor Center from the free parking areas on the Arizona side of the dam. Pedestrians are not allowed to walk on the dam in the dark. Pets are not allowed on the dam at any time.
There are numerous outdoor exhibits around the dam that can be viewed at street level and free of charge. A bronze statue called Winged Figures of the Republic is directly across from the Visitor Center. Visitors can view the Arizona and Nevada spillways through the canyon walls on each side of the dam. The spillways are large enough to float a World War II battleship in each one. Visitors can also view the Intake Towers, and hear an audio presentation on the Nevada side of the dam. The audio presentation highlights the role of the intake towers in generating power at the dam.
The Visitor Center is located on the Nevada side of the dam. It is accessible from street level and from the parking garage. All visitors must go through security to enter the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time daily. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. At the center you can view the exhibits, watch a theater presentation and access the observation deck. Admission does not include the power plant or dam tours. The Visitor Center is wheelchair-accessible.
The Hoover Dam Power Plant Tour includes admission to the Visitor Center and the power plant inside the dam. This guided tour lasts about 30 minutes. After watching a short film at the Visitor Center, visitors take an elevator down into the wall of the Black Canyon to a tunnel drilled during the dam's construction. From there, visitors are given a tour of the dam's generators. Tickets for the Power Plant Tour are available at the Visitor Center and online. The Power Plant Tour is wheelchair-accessible.
The Hoover Dam Tour is an extensive tour that takes visitors into lesser-known parts of the dam. Children under 8 years of age are not allowed on this tour. The dam tour includes admission to the Visitor Center and the power plant tour. Tickets for this tour are only available at the Visitor Center and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The dam tour requires more than a mile of walking on hard surfaces, and therefore is not handicapped-accessible.
