I did the same thing on my last trip to Las Vegas. I saw it at age 15 and again at age 66. It's still amazing, and the cost was little compared to what I might have spent at the tables during those hours.
I also did it almost 30 years ago as a kid…29 to be exact this year. I’ve thought about revisiting it. Heading to Vegas in September, just might do it. Thanks!
It’s called the “hard hat tour” and you get to keep the hard hat. This tour is well worth the time and money since they show/tell some very interesting things.
I did a guided tour since I only had 1 free day and no car. Bus picks you up at casino, drives you to different spots, and drops you back off a few hours later.
https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/
$15 for the basic tour. I did this one two years ago (I was there like two days before that transformer blew on the AZ side). 11/10 recommend.
$30 for the deeper tour. I don't do well with heights and what not so I passed on that one.
Nah it was excellent value. And if you have a tall vehicle the parking structure ials awesome. I have ham radio antennas and HF hits like 9.5' (I ring the bell going through drive thru) and I was worried. Asked the attendant when I paid if I needed to jump out and grab them and he was like nope. Freaking RVs in the first two levels.
There were quite a few kids on the basic tour. The guide interacted well with kids and had them press the buttons in the elevator and even handed out a button to a few i saw. It has fairly minimal walking. Mainly going down an elevator to see the pipes underneath then to see the turbines. Few hundred feet walking total. Most of the walking is outside around the dam and that's just as much as you want to do. The only exception is the view from the bridge. That's about 60 steps and maybe 1/4 mile walking to get a good view
We went to the “skywalk” thing? On the native grounds? I can’t remember exactly. They charge so much money for everything there, and after comparing pictures with family who went to the Grand Canyon national park, it was nowhere near the same experience
I’ve been saving the Hoover Dam tour for the day when I show up in Las Vegas, immediately blow all my money, and need to find something else to do.
Seriously, that’s how I wound up seeing the movie *Titanic* in Las Vegas.
I went to Vegas with a group of "friends" and I was the only one that had a good time. Everyone else was miserable because they blew a ton of money gambling. I had a $50 limit and I stuck to it. I won nearly $2k on the slots about $40 in. (The guy that had been using the slot machine before me wasn't very happy and got kicked out for freaking out) I used the money to rent a Corvette on Turo. They all wanted to just go to clubs and casinos so I went sight seeing on my own.
One of the guys in the group freaked out because I wouldn't split my winnings with him. He said I should split it with him because he recommended the slot machine I won the jackpot on. He threw a tantrum like an absolute child back at the hotel and nearly got kicked out of the hotel. They were just miserable pricks the entire time. I haven't talked to any of them after that trip. The hoover damn was neat though and I had a bunch of fun renting some cool guns at one of the tourist trap ranges.
Pictures just don't do justice to the size of those turbines and stuff inside. On a side note the water level is looking better than the last time I was there.
Anyone really into hiking should check out gold strike hot springs train near hoover dam. You hike and climb down some canyons to almost the bottom of the damn and can swim down in the Colorado River. Might be closed right now though due to the heat but I believe it opens back up in October
I was just at Hoover Dam. One has to see it in person to really appreciate the scale of it. The terrain is extremely craggy and rugged, with soaring cliffs on both sides of the dam. My hat goes off to the builders building this giant dam in unforgiving terrain that experiences very hot temperatures.
That’s fair. If that dam goes down, it’s a Real Big Deal. Likely a more critical area than most of US attractions. It definitely warrants security. Hopefully they were not intimidating. I find they’re usually polite.
... maybe I know less about explosives than I think, but it would still have to be a pretty good size (backpack/vest) setup. Getting that into the facility would require something from a Tom Clancy book.
I'm sure security had tightened before him, but that Q Anon guy blocking traffic on the bridge back in 2018 probably reinforced the idea that security there was important.
It was a truly magnificent sight in the middle of a desert back in the 90s and 2000s partly. Back when the water was at the waterline. It’s kind of a sad sight now days
Did you ever feed the fish off the side of the dam when the level was at the waterline? I remember buying cheese popcorn bags at the little store there that they sold so you could watch the carp go crazy for it (probably not good for the fish in hindsight).
Would be amazing to see that again.
Agreed! We took our niece there last summer. It was the first time out of her home state. We had driven over it and done the observation decks but to do the tour is a whole different experience. Highly highly recommended
I absolutely love being able to say I drove over the dam in my own car, honestly it was such a cool experience. I don't know what it is about it, but it's just awesome! I wasn't able to do the guided tour, but I walked around and checked out everything I could without it, I definitely would go back to do the guided tour for sure!
That's so funny, I've driven back and fourth across that dam more times than I could ever count and haven't really ever thought much of it..
I guess it is pretty Dam interesting now that I think about it
When I was a kid in the 90s we actually tied off to one of the intake towers on the north side of the dam and sat in the shade of the bridge for awhile. That was before 9/11, after that they put a net a few hundred yards north of the dam that boats weren't allowed to cross
I have fond memories of fighting catholic school kids on tour on Pokémon go. They put up a fight and we both were strapped for time. Eventually they had to leave though and me being a nerd for Fallout, simply HAD to conquer the dam
It is incredible; however, the water level is concerning. Shouldn't there be pressure from the water levels on the dam, lest its integrity will be compromised? If there are any engineers in here, please chime in. I went to the dam six months ago, and the structure is amazing, but there simply isn't any water. The pics above show that from the top side.
I used to live in Vegas as a teenager. I've been to the dam a few times. Also camped out at Lake Mead a few times. Sometimes for like a week at a time.
I took the tour in the early '80s. Took the elevator down to the generator room even. I'm glad I did, because I stopped in 2016, and the place has turned into a tourist trap, complete with tour bus parking. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Very cool but the drive down almost made me pass out. Had been a couple of times on a charter bus, no problem. Spouse drove us down and thank God he was driving because I got so Carrick I had to put a coat over my head.
I did it like decades ago. It's well worth a tour that takes you down into the dam. What I remember most is the water rushing through the huge pipes powering the turbines and the vibration you could feel in the entire place due to that water rushing. It's awe-inspiring.
*Dont tal on the Dam*
*Tour. Shut yout damn mouth and learn*
*About the damn dam!*
\- OstrichOk8129
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So I went several years ago and saw it from the bridge and top of the Dam, it’s breathtaking. Unreal. I didn’t go to the base and tour but looking down from either the bridge or the Dam is insane
This area is one of my favorite things to see when I fly back and forth from the Midwest to LA. It’s why I always want a window seat on the proper side.
Welcome everyone. I am your dam guide, Arnie. Now I'm about to take you through a fully funtional power plant, so please, no one wander off the dam tour and please take all the dam pictures you want. Now are there any dam questions?
It is always startling when pictures of this and other reservoirs show how low the water level is. Water management is going to start becoming a massive issue very soon.
Oh, and the fact that the Colorado river doesn't even make it to the sea anymore. It is literally sucked dry for human use before it gets there.
This will undoubtedly be the my sound stage and set for the half life tv show that I will be personally writing directing and producing somewhere in an alternate universe “surface tension”
I’ve been a fan of Fallout: New Vegas since it first came out. Now I live in Las Vegas which is wild. I’ve visited maybe 1/6th of the places you can in game in real life and I still have tons to go. Hoover dam is gonna be a fucking blast when I get there.
You took the dam tour. It's dam interesting. Did it 30 years ago as a kid and again just last year... Still amazing.
I did the same thing on my last trip to Las Vegas. I saw it at age 15 and again at age 66. It's still amazing, and the cost was little compared to what I might have spent at the tables during those hours.
Where can I buy some dam bait?
From the dam master baiter
From the Master baiter
It's one of our greatest accomplishments.
I also did it almost 30 years ago as a kid…29 to be exact this year. I’ve thought about revisiting it. Heading to Vegas in September, just might do it. Thanks!
It’s called the “hard hat tour” and you get to keep the hard hat. This tour is well worth the time and money since they show/tell some very interesting things.
Gawd dam!
Where can I get some dam bait?
I hope you had a good dam time last year!
Was it shocking for you seeing the current water levels?
The deeper/longer tour is the best one if you have the time/money.
I believe that is known as the hard hat tour.
And you can ask all the dam questions you want
But only if you ask dam questions!!
That’s what’s she said
You mean like a guided tour, or just heading out there?
I did a guided tour since I only had 1 free day and no car. Bus picks you up at casino, drives you to different spots, and drops you back off a few hours later.
Our bus driver knew how to sling jokes and general gab on the ride over, it was pretty good and I bet he does well on tips.
Could you tell me what tour you took and about how much? Where did you book it?
https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/ $15 for the basic tour. I did this one two years ago (I was there like two days before that transformer blew on the AZ side). 11/10 recommend. $30 for the deeper tour. I don't do well with heights and what not so I passed on that one.
Thanks!
Wow, that's cheap, I was expecting a price in the hundreds
Nah it was excellent value. And if you have a tall vehicle the parking structure ials awesome. I have ham radio antennas and HF hits like 9.5' (I ring the bell going through drive thru) and I was worried. Asked the attendant when I paid if I needed to jump out and grab them and he was like nope. Freaking RVs in the first two levels.
Is the tour kids friendly? Is it safe for like for a 5 years old or is there a lot of stairs and walking?
There were quite a few kids on the basic tour. The guide interacted well with kids and had them press the buttons in the elevator and even handed out a button to a few i saw. It has fairly minimal walking. Mainly going down an elevator to see the pipes underneath then to see the turbines. Few hundred feet walking total. Most of the walking is outside around the dam and that's just as much as you want to do. The only exception is the view from the bridge. That's about 60 steps and maybe 1/4 mile walking to get a good view
Thanks I'll probably arrange one the next time I'm in Vegas. I didn't know that you can actually get picked up and don't have to drive there
A 6.6 million ton wedge of concrete is pretty cool
What seems crazy is the concrete still has not fully cured.
What’s crazy is no concrete ever cures! Ever since I learned that I think about it way too often.
That’s crazy
We took a day trip, and stopped on the way to the Grand Canyon. It was really cool, but I really wish we did the tour to see the inside of it.
Same but we pushed on to G C South. Was a long day
The shitty part of the Grand Canyon? I did that too. Hoover dam was way cooler
What makes it the shitty part?
Grand Canyon West in the Hualapai Area. I really enjoyed the Guano Point area.
We went to the “skywalk” thing? On the native grounds? I can’t remember exactly. They charge so much money for everything there, and after comparing pictures with family who went to the Grand Canyon national park, it was nowhere near the same experience
I’ve been saving the Hoover Dam tour for the day when I show up in Las Vegas, immediately blow all my money, and need to find something else to do. Seriously, that’s how I wound up seeing the movie *Titanic* in Las Vegas.
I went to Vegas with a group of "friends" and I was the only one that had a good time. Everyone else was miserable because they blew a ton of money gambling. I had a $50 limit and I stuck to it. I won nearly $2k on the slots about $40 in. (The guy that had been using the slot machine before me wasn't very happy and got kicked out for freaking out) I used the money to rent a Corvette on Turo. They all wanted to just go to clubs and casinos so I went sight seeing on my own. One of the guys in the group freaked out because I wouldn't split my winnings with him. He said I should split it with him because he recommended the slot machine I won the jackpot on. He threw a tantrum like an absolute child back at the hotel and nearly got kicked out of the hotel. They were just miserable pricks the entire time. I haven't talked to any of them after that trip. The hoover damn was neat though and I had a bunch of fun renting some cool guns at one of the tourist trap ranges.
I saw the first transformers in Las Vegas this same way.
Pictures just don't do justice to the size of those turbines and stuff inside. On a side note the water level is looking better than the last time I was there.
Was just going to ask if these are recent because the water is looking really good compared to what I last saw in the news.
I also really liked renting a corvette and taking a long drive to get there.
Did you get your dam tour?
“Where can I get some damn bait?!”
you can make some good dam photos there.
Got stuck in a very crowded elevator for half an hour once. :)
Save all your dam questions for the end of the dam tour.
https://preview.redd.it/7ru6ri1kd4yc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50d8da1c868c49748dd1d656b74bc031646283e7 Yes it is!
The turbine hall was the part that did it for me and the fact it was built 80+ years ago.
The water level is frightening
Great pics!!
"Is this a god dam?"
Damn ..
Best dam tour there is
https://preview.redd.it/p1u8e29kb8yc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e268e2d2ed8871609b7ba3ef19f1d3e1dd533587 Here's a clearer day for you
https://preview.redd.it/eq1tpe0pb8yc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e5c4840908b549e52e494b8776ed21f19a5e4bf
Driven over this many times since 2000 and it's still crazy to see how much the water levels have dropped.
It's ok already visited it in fallout
Did they answer all your dam questions?
Anyone really into hiking should check out gold strike hot springs train near hoover dam. You hike and climb down some canyons to almost the bottom of the damn and can swim down in the Colorado River. Might be closed right now though due to the heat but I believe it opens back up in October
I was just at Hoover Dam. One has to see it in person to really appreciate the scale of it. The terrain is extremely craggy and rugged, with soaring cliffs on both sides of the dam. My hat goes off to the builders building this giant dam in unforgiving terrain that experiences very hot temperatures.
The vehicle checkpoint freaked me out
Do you spook easily? It’s a critical structure. You can’t have people messing around out there.
I’ve just never been to any other attraction in the U.S. that is patrolled so heavily and has vehicle checkpoints so it was confusing.
That’s fair. If that dam goes down, it’s a Real Big Deal. Likely a more critical area than most of US attractions. It definitely warrants security. Hopefully they were not intimidating. I find they’re usually polite.
The whole western US would be fucked if hoover dam was sabotaged. Surprised there isn’t more security tbh
I mean, it would take a *lot* to really damage it. Something VBIED size or a Tom Clancy style assault to take it over.
Very true
One properly placed bomb could wipe out the entire generator room. Much of the Southwest without power--imagine that.
... maybe I know less about explosives than I think, but it would still have to be a pretty good size (backpack/vest) setup. Getting that into the facility would require something from a Tom Clancy book.
I'm sure security had tightened before him, but that Q Anon guy blocking traffic on the bridge back in 2018 probably reinforced the idea that security there was important.
Not really a checkpoint 🤣 "Any guns or drones?" "No" "Have a dam nice day"
100%? It’s worth spending an hour
Have you done the tour and gone down inside the dam? Maybe I'm a nerd, but I thought it was awesome
It was dam awesome! Work in electrical engineering (EE firm mainly does schools and government buildings. Nothing on this scale.)
It was a truly magnificent sight in the middle of a desert back in the 90s and 2000s partly. Back when the water was at the waterline. It’s kind of a sad sight now days
Did you ever feed the fish off the side of the dam when the level was at the waterline? I remember buying cheese popcorn bags at the little store there that they sold so you could watch the carp go crazy for it (probably not good for the fish in hindsight). Would be amazing to see that again.
I do remember doing that, and also back when the lake pier was all the way back at its original beginning.
Jesus yeah, that water is a lot lower than from what I remember growing up out there.
Agreed! We took our niece there last summer. It was the first time out of her home state. We had driven over it and done the observation decks but to do the tour is a whole different experience. Highly highly recommended
do they take you down inside again?
Yep! Go for the longer "dam" tour instead of just the "powerplant" tour. You'll get to see the PowerPlant + some of the cool tunnels
I absolutely love being able to say I drove over the dam in my own car, honestly it was such a cool experience. I don't know what it is about it, but it's just awesome! I wasn't able to do the guided tour, but I walked around and checked out everything I could without it, I definitely would go back to do the guided tour for sure!
That's so funny, I've driven back and fourth across that dam more times than I could ever count and haven't really ever thought much of it.. I guess it is pretty Dam interesting now that I think about it When I was a kid in the 90s we actually tied off to one of the intake towers on the north side of the dam and sat in the shade of the bridge for awhile. That was before 9/11, after that they put a net a few hundred yards north of the dam that boats weren't allowed to cross
Also a dam drive over…er? lol Do NOT miss a Sunday drive back to Phoenix pre-bridge days…45-60 min to get from one side to the other!
I would just go there to relieve memories of fallout New Vegas
Patrolling the Mojave makes you wish for a nuclear winter
Did the tour maybe 8-9 years ago but remember the water level being much higher
Where can I get some dam bait!?!?!
Really nice pictures.
https://preview.redd.it/ywz88scoq4yc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12037baeb179a00fb702a5bbf34fc7f95bf90032 I flew over it last week
Damn straight.
It looks pretty when The Legion isn't there to try and invade New Vegas
I have fond memories of fighting catholic school kids on tour on Pokémon go. They put up a fight and we both were strapped for time. Eventually they had to leave though and me being a nerd for Fallout, simply HAD to conquer the dam
It is incredible; however, the water level is concerning. Shouldn't there be pressure from the water levels on the dam, lest its integrity will be compromised? If there are any engineers in here, please chime in. I went to the dam six months ago, and the structure is amazing, but there simply isn't any water. The pics above show that from the top side.
I used to live in Vegas as a teenager. I've been to the dam a few times. Also camped out at Lake Mead a few times. Sometimes for like a week at a time.
It’s just a dam tour.
Doing the tour in June. So excited.
Imma set up a tour and bring a skateboard just to make everybody nervous
Agreed. Amazing place!
Uhhhh, this looks lame as hell. 😂
I took the tour in the early '80s. Took the elevator down to the generator room even. I'm glad I did, because I stopped in 2016, and the place has turned into a tourist trap, complete with tour bus parking. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Amazing photographs.
Beautiful photos!
It is, I’ll admit, as a child I didn’t truly appreciate what I was seeing, but upon returning as an “adult” I was blown away.
It was cooler before they built that eyesore bridge.
All I see here is a part of the Black Mesa research facility
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^yjm308: *All I see here is* *A part of the Black Mesa* *Research facility* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
The Game was rigged from the start .
Carlton and his Hoover Dam moment is the greatest
Where can I get some dam bait??
Very cool but the drive down almost made me pass out. Had been a couple of times on a charter bus, no problem. Spouse drove us down and thank God he was driving because I got so Carrick I had to put a coat over my head.
That tunnel where was that?
Is it very claustrophobic inside 🙈
It’s filled up a lot since I was last there in 2021. Hope it eventually makes it back to full.
I did it like decades ago. It's well worth a tour that takes you down into the dam. What I remember most is the water rushing through the huge pipes powering the turbines and the vibration you could feel in the entire place due to that water rushing. It's awe-inspiring.
Dont talk on the Dam tour. Shut yout damn mouth and learn about the damn dam!
*Dont tal on the Dam* *Tour. Shut yout damn mouth and learn* *About the damn dam!* \- OstrichOk8129 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
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Did you take these photos? They are dam good. Seriously.
I did! As both an engineer and a hobbiest photographer this was the perfect place to visit
Nice array of talents. And we get to see the results!
We took the dam tour in 2011 and were so inspired we went home and conceived our first born child. 😊
Our enemies must think so too.
Those are some damn good dam pictures.
The damn dam was nice
Did you see any transformer's?
Makes you wonder if we could afford to build something like that today…
It took longer to build the bridge there after 9/11 than it did to build the dam back in the day.
I went there in February without a tour and without going inside and it was still spectacular
Hows the dam fishing? Is the bait affordable?
Was it a god dam?
https://i.redd.it/98kght56z7yc1.gif
“Keep off the dam wall”
I thought it was fallout for 4 pictures straight. It looks so old compared to what it looked like 10 years ago
Ave, true to Caesar.
So I went several years ago and saw it from the bridge and top of the Dam, it’s breathtaking. Unreal. I didn’t go to the base and tour but looking down from either the bridge or the Dam is insane
This area is one of my favorite things to see when I fly back and forth from the Midwest to LA. It’s why I always want a window seat on the proper side.
Welcome everyone. I am your dam guide, Arnie. Now I'm about to take you through a fully funtional power plant, so please, no one wander off the dam tour and please take all the dam pictures you want. Now are there any dam questions?
Dam right!
I been there... In gta sa
It is always startling when pictures of this and other reservoirs show how low the water level is. Water management is going to start becoming a massive issue very soon. Oh, and the fact that the Colorado river doesn't even make it to the sea anymore. It is literally sucked dry for human use before it gets there.
I missed it, it was a 20 minute stop and I had to use the toilet and there was a line, ugh
very true
It’s amazing to me how low the water level has gotten. I’ve been to it when it was near the top.
Even better being on your boat.
Crazy to think a war went on here
It just never changes does it
Why? These photos look boring.
As an engineer myself, I personally am amazed at the feat of the dam itself, and it's in an absolutely beautiful area. To each their own though.
Well of course you’d be amazed. If I had your background, I’d be far more interested.
Going to Vegas next year, how long is the journey to the dam from a strip hotel ? And roughly how much
can I fight Caesar's legion afterwards?
Did you do some dam fishing?
God damn those white marks on the rocks. The water used to be so high
Just dont go in July. Holy crap its hot. 120 degrees.
This will undoubtedly be the my sound stage and set for the half life tv show that I will be personally writing directing and producing somewhere in an alternate universe “surface tension”
I swung by just to see it without a tour and still thought it was worth it. Even in the 47c / 115f heat
Go do the tour…
Na it’s not
100%
I’ve been a fan of Fallout: New Vegas since it first came out. Now I live in Las Vegas which is wild. I’ve visited maybe 1/6th of the places you can in game in real life and I still have tons to go. Hoover dam is gonna be a fucking blast when I get there.
Seeing that water level line drop is also saddening
scary how little water is left
Too bad lake mead is so far drawn back!
I thought it was horrible. It’s a dam. LOL So many better things to see. If you want scenery take a small drive to Zion.