We had been to Hoover Dam a couple of times since moving to Arizona, but in July, 2018 we went again with my mother, who had never seen the dam. We’d already taken her to the Neon Museum earlier in the same visit, but now it was time to see awesome, majestic nature.
The tour
As photographers, we tended to avoid the tours because we’re often trying to get photographs when fewer people are around outside. But since it was my Mom’s first time at the dam, we did the powerplant tour. Currently, the Powerplant Tour costs $15 per person.
The shade sails are a common sight in the Southwest during the summer. Since tour lines often go out the door during peak times, I wasn’t surprised to see these here. We don’t tend to visit Hoover Dam during the summer heat, so this was the first time I had seen them.This photo was through Plexiglass, but shows the huge size of these pipes in the dam.It felt like this room went for miles.I loved the pattern on this floor mosaic.
Once the guided Powerplant Tour was over, we did the self-guided Visitor Center Tour, which is included in the cost. I highly recommend the Visitor Center Tour, which can be purchased separately for $10 per person, just for the opportunities to get photos from the Observation Deck in the Visitor Center. Because we had ignored tours in the past, I had no idea I could get these views. 🙂
Observation Deck views
Looking to the east from the Observation Deck.Looking to the west from the Observation Deck. The bridge in this photo is the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which includes pedestrian and bicycle access on the east side of the bridge.Railing with the dam in the background.
Hoover Dam exterior views
When you walk along the bridge road that used to carry the vehicle traffic, this is looking west towards the bridge and the Visitor Center.Along the bridge road, looking towards the east.Civil engineering wonder plaque on the bridge road, showing the dividing lane between Nevada and Arizona.A memorial on the edge of the Hoover Dam area, recognizing the vision to make the dam a reality.
It will likely be a while before we’re in the Lake Mead and/or Las Vegas area again, but we’ll probably go see the dam again. It’s just that amazing.
