Hoover Dam is a marvel of construction – impressive and powerful, and it is the reason why Las Vegas can enjoy all the pleasures that Lake Mead has to offer. It would be a shame to come to Las Vegas and miss the chance to see Hoover Dam and enjoy life on the lake. This article gives some basic facts about Hoover Dam and tells you how to get there from Las Vegas.
Where is Hoover Dam? From Las Vegas, head south and east on US Route 93 (“The Boulder Highway”) Depending on traffic, you should be in Boulder in about 30 minutes, plus or minus. Boulder was the town created during the Depression for the construction workers, and it is right next to the dam itself. Public transportation goes there, too, and there is lots of parking.
The Colorado River snakes its way out of the Rocky Mountains and eventually comes far enough south to act as the border between a portion of southeastern Nevada and southwestern Arizona. Here the river runs through “Black Canyon,” and the dam was built at the southern outlet of this passageway.
Size of the Dam and the Lake. At 726 feet (221 meters), the drop from the top of the dam to the bottom of the river bed on the south side is roughly the size of a 75-story building. The span at the top is 1,244 feet (380 meters) across, and 45 feet (14 meters) thick. At the bottom, the dam is over 660 feet (200 meters) thick! Approximately 29 million acre-feet of water are held back by the dam, forming Lake Meade, which is 110-miles (177 km) long.
More Facts about Hoover Dam. You can visit the dam itself and take a tour. Hoover Dam is officially a National Park. Ten million tourists come each year. The tour shows you how the dam is built and how it works. You can see the enormous, six-story tall diversion tunnels for the current, and the turbines, which generate 2 megawatts of power daily. Water passes over them at 85 miles per hour. The visitor’s center (on the Nevada side) is comfortable and offers food and a gift shop.
Lake Mead has several different communities around its shore from which boating, hiking, camping and other excursions are possible. The lake itself is home for many recreational boaters and house-boaters. Water skiing and jet skis are permitted.
The dam started out as the “Boulder Dam,” but by Act of Congress was re-named in honor of Herbert Hoover, who so tirelessly promoted the Boulder Dam project as Secretary of Commerce in the Harding Administration. His main accomplishment was to obtain agreement from the various states about how the water and power would be apportioned among them. By the time construction began, Hoover was President of the United States. The project was completed two years ahead of schedule, in 1935. The art deco decorative touches were the last step of the process. It took years for Lake Mead to fill up. The lake is named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the dam’s construction.
