Hoover Dam

One of the largest dams ever built, spanning the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona — and one of the few landmarks you can see from a bridge 890 feet up, or paddle right up to at water level.

What Is Hoover Dam?

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam built across the Colorado River in the 1930s, straddling the border between Nevada and Arizona about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas. It holds back Lake Mead, one of the largest reservoirs in the United States, and its power plant was once the largest hydroelectric facility in the world. Today it’s a National Historic Landmark and one of the most visited engineering sites in the country.

The dam is flanked by the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, a 1,900-foot bypass bridge that carries US Route 93 nearly 900 feet above the river — and directly over the stretch of Black Canyon where our tours paddle.

Hoover Dam and the Colorado River seen from below

Why It’s Worth Visiting

Most visitors only ever see Hoover Dam from above — from the bridge, the visitor center, or a car window. Seeing it from the water, at the base of the canyon it was built into, is a completely different perspective: the dam wall rises straight up in front of you, with the bridge arcing overhead. It’s a rare way to experience a landmark most people only photograph from a parking lot.

What You'll See

The Dam Wall

Paddle right up to the base of Hoover Dam for a view of the concrete wall that most visitors never get — from the water, looking straight up.

The Bypass Bridge

The Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge arcs 890 feet above the river, framing the dam from both the water and the road.

The Power Plant

Inside, rows of massive generators beneath the turbine hall show off the engineering that once made this the largest hydroelectric plant in the world.

Lake Mead

Behind the dam, Lake Mead stretches into striped desert hills — the reservoir that made the modern Southwest possible.

Getting There

Hoover Dam is near Boulder City, Nevada, about a 45-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip. You can walk it via the visitor center and bypass bridge on your own, or see it from the river on a guided kayak or walking tour with round-trip shuttle from Las Vegas.

Nearby Destinations

See Hoover Dam From the Water or on Foot

Kayak up to the base of the dam, or walk the bypass bridge and Power Plant on a guided tour with shuttle from Las Vegas.

Kayak to Hoover Dam Walking Tour