Hoover Dam and Pat Tillman Bridge
Hoover Dam Access Rd
Boulder City, NV
A wall of concrete wedged into Black Canyon that tamed the Colorado River, crowned now by one of the tallest arch bridges in the hemisphere.
Hoover Dam is one of the great feats of American engineering, a 726-foot wall of concrete jammed into the narrow throat of Black Canyon to stop the Colorado River in its tracks. Built between 1931 and 1936 during the depths of the Great Depression, it was raised by thousands of workers who poured concrete around the clock in brutal desert heat, and when it was finished it was the tallest dam in the world. Behind it, the river backed up into Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume.
The dam is more than raw engineering. Its designers gave it a sleek Art Deco face, with fluted concrete towers, patterned terrazzo floors, and Oskar Hansen's winged bronze figures standing guard over a memorial to the men who built it. Today a second marvel arcs across the canyon just downstream: the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which carries the highway high over the river and gives you the classic postcard view of the whole dam at once.
What Guests Love
- Standing on the crest with the Colorado River hundreds of feet straight below
- The Art Deco detailing, the terrazzo floors, and the winged bronze figures at the memorial
- Walking out onto the Pat Tillman Bridge for the head-on view of the whole dam
- The sheer Depression-era ambition of the thing, built by hand in the 1930s desert heat
Worth Knowing
- Summer here is brutally hot, so bring water and go early; the canyon holds the heat
- The bridge walkway is reached from a parking area on the Arizona side and is a short but exposed walk
- Security screening applies to vehicles crossing the dam, and large bags are restricted
- The dam straddles two time zones, Nevada and Arizona, which can confuse tour timing
Details
Boulder City, NV
Learn about Hoover Dam and Pat Tillman Bridge
The story of the dam
By the early twentieth century the Colorado River was both a lifeline and a menace, prone to floods that wiped out farms downstream and to droughts that left them dry. In 1928 Congress authorized a massive dam to control it, generate electricity, and store water for the desert Southwest. A consortium of contractors called Six Companies won the job, and construction began in 1931.
The work was staggering and dangerous. Crews first diverted the entire river through tunnels blasted into the canyon walls, then poured more than three million cubic yards of concrete in interlocking blocks, cooled by pipes of river water so the mass would not crack as it cured. The federal government built Boulder City from scratch to house the workforce in an era when jobs were scarce and men came from all over the country desperate for work.
The dam was completed in 1936, ahead of schedule. Nearly a hundred workers died during construction according to the official count. Originally called Boulder Dam, it was permanently named for President Herbert Hoover in 1947. Its power plant still sends electricity to Nevada, Arizona, and California, and its water still irrigates a vast stretch of the arid West.
The bridge and the view
For decades the only road across the river here ran right over the top of the dam, a slow, winding, and security-sensitive route. In 2010 the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge opened just downstream to carry US Route 93 traffic clear over the canyon. Named for a Nevada governor and for Pat Tillman, the football player who left the NFL to serve and was killed in Afghanistan, it is one of the tallest concrete arch bridges in the Western Hemisphere.
A pedestrian walkway runs along the bridge, and it is the single best place to take in Hoover Dam. From up there you look straight down the face of the dam to the river far below, with the intake towers, the power plant, and the green ribbon of the Colorado all laid out beneath you. The walk is short, but there is little shade, so it is best in the cooler hours.
Lake Mead and the desert around it
The reservoir behind the dam, Lake Mead, is the heart of a national recreation area that draws boaters, anglers, and paddlers to its blue water set against bare desert mountains. In recent years the lake has dropped dramatically during a long regional drought, leaving a pale bathtub ring of mineral deposits high on the canyon walls, a stark reminder of how much the West depends on this one river.
The surrounding Mojave Desert is stark and beautiful, home to bighorn sheep that pick their way along the rocky slopes, ravens riding the canyon updrafts, and the occasional peregrine falcon. Boulder City, unusually for Nevada, has never allowed casino gambling, and it keeps a quiet, historic small-town feel that stands in sharp contrast to Las Vegas nearby.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Sands Motel of Boulder City
Honorable Mention809 Nevada Way, Boulder City, NV
6 miles away|Learn More ›
Things to Do Near Boulder City
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Adjacent
The vast reservoir and desert playground behind the dam, with marinas, swimming coves, and scenic drives along the Colorado River.
Boulder City Historic District
About 8 miles west
The government-built town that housed the dam workers, now a walkable historic downtown with the Hoover Dam Museum and antique shops.
Nelson Ghost Town
About 25 miles south
A restored ghost town in Eldorado Canyon with the historic Techatticup Mine, weathered cabins, and vintage props for photos.