Vegas Free-for-All - Visiting Hoover Dam

melbedewy

Mar 17, 2012
10:54am

I need to take some people on a quick photo-op-no guided tour.
Haven't been their in years. Last time I went the procedure was to pull up next to the gift shop, park for free, take your pictures for a few minutes and leave.
I know there is a new configuration but I can't find a website that tells me what I need to do this with as little bother as possible.

darcie3

Mar 17, 2012
11:31am

Block User

Here try this site https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/index.html

Don

Mar 17, 2012
9:02pm

Block User

melbedewy might also consider a quick photo-op side trip to the new Hoover Dam Bridge.

However, one does not get to the sidewalk on the bridge by driving onto the bridge; in fact there's no parking or stopping on the bridge and no legal parking available near either end of the bridge on US Route93.

As the New York Times explains: "For pedestrians, the bridge is accessible only from the Nevada side, by taking an exit off Route 93 that puts motorists on the old road to the dam. The parking lot for bridge visitors is about two miles down the road (it’s another three-quarters of a mile to the dam and visitor center, which has a parking garage if the bridge lot is full)."
The parking lot is at the A:

Sheltie Lover

Mar 18, 2012
1:17am

Block User

Do the tour...well worth it!

LVrealestateHELP

Mar 18, 2012
3:46pm

Block User

The new bridge makes the Damn look small......never thought I would say the Damn looks small...

makikiboy

Mar 19, 2012
4:56am

Block User

Parking is a pain now. you can't just stop and park for free and take quick pics anymore. You can drop off your passengers for them to take quick pics but you have to keep your car moving. parking is either in their parking lot (you have to pay, don't think there is a grace period) or free across the az side in the upper lots.

The road to az through the dam is now closed, you have to take the bypass bridge to get to az now.

btw, as someone else mentioned, the bypass bridge is a neat place to stop and take great pics of the dam. there is a bypass bridge parking lot (and overflow lot) before you get to the dam. You have to walk (hike?) up to the bypass bridge but IMHO the bypass bridge is a great place to get pics of.

Roulette Man

Mar 19, 2012
5:50am

Block User

If you are going to go to the dam, you definitely want to visit the bypass bridge. There is a parking lot near it, but you have to climb quite a few stairs or hike switchbacks to get to the bridge. The bridge has a separate walkway for spectators and a partition from vehicle traffic. Unless you are in a high riding truck, you won't be able to see the dam from your car while on the bridge. This was wise to design this way or traffic would have been slowing down while going over the bridge.

You can see stairs leading up to bridge on the left side, or users can use the switchbacks that are to the right of the stairs.

JM2300

Mar 19, 2012
5:58am

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: LVrealestateHELP
The new bridge makes the Damn look small......never thought I would say the Damn looks small...

Dam right it does. Dam right it does.

melbedewy

Mar 19, 2012
7:33am

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: makikiboy
Parking is a pain now. you can't just stop and park for free and take quick pics anymore. You can drop off your passengers for them to take quick pics but you have to keep your car moving. parking is either in their parking lot (you have to pay, don't think there is a grace period) or free across the az side in the upper lots.

The road to az through the dam is now closed, you have to take the bypass bridge to get to az now.

btw, as someone else mentioned, the bypass bridge is a neat place to stop and take great pics of the dam. there is a bypass bridge parking lot (and overflow lot) before you get to the dam. You have to walk (hike?) up to the bypass bridge but IMHO the bypass bridge is a great place to get pics of.

Boy that sucks. What happened to the old parking lot with the little visitor center?
Hard to get a better picture than from that spot.

makikiboy

Mar 19, 2012
8:06am

Block User

this site seems to have some detailed pics of the bridge and the dam.

https://www.zimbio.com/pictures/I_xcwxZ-ivZ/Hoover+Dam+Bypass+Bridge+Project+Complete/W-c9JtTu352

This image has the most detail:

this is one of the better pics. On the right, the tiered area is the new parking lot. the cyllindrical thing on the mountain wall next to the dam is the new visitor center (you have to pay to get into it though). below right is one of the older parking lots (now only for workers). the rectangular buildings are the old buildings.

While there are drop off areas there isn't any area for you to park and make a quick stop to take quick pics. guards will probably come see you if you try to park near the dam.

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