Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

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If you are traveling to Las Vegas, take a day trip to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead for a change of scenery!

There is so much to to Nevada besides Las Vegas! We throughly enjoyed visiting The Strip, but we also enjoyed venturing out of Las Vegas to visit the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

Hoover Dam

I hadn’t been to the Hoover Dam in over a decade and lots of things have changed. For one, you can now see it from a walkway vs. just driving through. That was a unique perspective and it was so cool to see it from the top.

There are a few interesting facts I learned this time around:

• The Hoover Dam was built during the great depression. The Dam was an infrastructure project designed to generate jobs for the thousands of unemployed workers in the US. Twenty thousand workers descended upon Nevada looking for a job.
• An average of 3,000 to 5,000 men worked daily to build the dam and the monthly payroll averaged U$500,000. It took 2 years to build it.
• Boulder City was built to house these workers since there was nothing around the area.
• Lake Mead is actually a reservoir created by the construction of the dam.

Also if you are planning to visit the Hoover Dam, here are things to keep in mind.

• There is a security checkpoint before you reach the Dam.
• You can actually take a tour of the power plant. Tours start at 9am and tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

The other cool thing about getting out of Las Vegas and driving to the Hoover Dam is that you get to stop at Lake Mead.

In the summer, you can spend a whole day in Lake Mead. Water sports are popular and you can rent a boat right on site.

If you are not visiting it during warm weather, you can see Lake Mead from the top, by taking a short drive to a panoramic stop.

And don’t forget to keep an eye for the bighorn sheep who live in the area.

If you liked this post about Hoover Dam, check out these other things to do in and around Las Vegas:

• Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area
• Things to do in Las Vegas with kids

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This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and participant in other programs, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.