Hoover Tour Information
The Bureau of Reclamation has conducted tours through the Hoover Dam and powerplant since 1937. Today, close to 1,000,000 visitors a year take the tour and millions more drive across the dam.
Location:
The dam is located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas on US Highway 93 at
the Nevada-Arizona border. Click here for maps and driving/parking instructions,
and directions on where to go after you get here.
Hours of Operation:
Note: All times are for the Pacific Time Zone.
Parking Garage: Open 8:00 a.m. -- Close 5:45 p.m. Parking fee: $7.00
Visitor Center: Open 9:00 a.m. -- Close 6:00 p.m. Tickets sold until 5:15 p.m.
Tours: Summer: first tour is at 9:15 a.m.; last tour is at 5:15 p.m.
Winter: first tour is at 9:15 a.m.; last tour is at 4:15 p.m.
(NOTE: We are presently operating under the summer hours schedule.)
The Hoover Dam Visitor Center is open every day of the year except for
Thanksgiving and Christmas days.
Tour Options and Admission Fees:
Powerplant Tour (for a description of the tour, click here)
Category |
Price |
Adults (Ages 17-61) | $11.00 |
Seniors (62+) | $9.00 |
Juniors (ages 4-16) | $9.00 |
U.S. Military | $9.00 |
U.S. Military (in Uniform) | Free |
Children (Ages 0-3) | Free |
Click here to purchase Powerplant Tour tickets on-line - This link will open a new window that takes you to our partner site with Denison Parking where you can purchase tickets in advance of your visit. (Note: You can also purchase tickets at Hoover Dam.)
Hoover Dam Tour (for a description of the tour, click here)
Category |
Price |
Adults, Seniors, Juniors & U.S. Military | $30.00 |
NO children under age 8 permitted | |
Note: This tour is NOT accessible for visitors with wheelchairs or crutches |
NOTE: Dam Tour tickets CANNOT be purchased on-line - they are available on a first come-first served basis and must be purchased in person at Hoover Dam. Major credit cards and cash are accepted.
Visitor Center Admission - This option allows entry into the Visitor Center WITHOUT access to the dam or powerplant.
Category |
Price |
Adults, Seniors, Juniors & U.S. Military | $8.00 |
Children ages 3 and under | Free |
Click here to purchase Visitor Center Admission tickets on-line - This link will open a new window that takes you to our partner site with Dennison.com where you can purchase tickets in advance of your visit. (Note: You can also purchase tickets at Hoover Dam.)
Amenities and Visitation Hints
Restrooms are located on Level 1 of the Parking Garage, on the Theater and Exhibit levels of the Visitor Center, adjacent to the Old Exhibit Building, and in the downstream face towers on top of the dam.
Food is available through a concession service at the base of the Parking Garage.
Gift shop concession is located at the base of the Parking Garage.
Accessibility:
The Hoover Dam Visitor Center and the Powerplant Tour are wheelchair/scooter accessible. The Dam Tour is NOT accessible.
Guests with wheelchairs, strollers and other mobility equipment can enter the Visitor Center (one floor below street level) via an elevator inset into the canyon wall a few yards past the escalator entrance.
Hoover Dam also has wheelchairs available ($5 charge) in the Parking Garage for visitor use for the Powerplant Tour or visiting other locations around the dam site.
Visitation Tips:
The busiest season at Hoover Dam is in the summer from Memorial Day until Labor Day.
The slowest months for visitation are January and February. The least crowded time of day for tours is from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. until 4:45 pm.
Traffic around the dam during holidays and weekends can be extremely heavy with long delays on the roadways to the site.
To enjoy the site entirely, we recommend visitors arrive by 2:00 p.m. as pedestrians are prohibited from the top of the dam during hours of darkness.
Restrooms are located on level 1 of the garage, on the Visitor Center's Theater and Exhibit Gallery levels, adjacent to the Old Exhibit Building, and on top of the dam.
Hoover Dam is located in a desert climate. It is extremely HOT in the summer. During summer months it is recommended that you wear light clothing and a hat, use sunscreen and sun glasses, and carry water bottles on the tour.
Rules
Discounts:
America the Beautiful, Golden Eagle or Golden Age Passports/discounts are NOT accepted
for admission to the Hoover Dam Visitor Center or tours. They can be used
for admission to parks and facilities that receive benefits from the
Land and Water Conservation Fund (like Lake Mead National Recreation Area); however, Hoover Dam is entirely self-funded
and does not receive the benefits from this Fund.
Traffic/Parking:
Commercial trucks (18-wheelers) are prohibited from crossing the dam, and must use the Highway 95 detour through Laughlin, Nevada/Bullhead City, Arizona. Most passenger vehicles are allowed to cross
the dam, but all are subject to inspection at security checkpoints. (Note: Contents of moving vans and enclosed campers must be easily inspected.)
Motorhomes and other high clearance vehicles (with dimensions greater than 10.5 feet high and 23 feet long) CANNOT park in the Parking Garage and must use parking areas on the Arizona side of the dam. For more information, see "Crossing
Hoover Dam: A Traveler's Guide" (Acrobat .pdf file
- 45 KB).
Security:
All visitors to the Visitor Center are required to enter the facility through a security checkpoint. Cameras, purses, small-size backpacks, and camera tripods are permitted. Knives and weapons are NOT ALLOWED in the Visitor Center. All carry-in possessions will be scanned.
Stopping on top of the dam in any vehicle is prohibited.
Pedestrians
are not allowed on the top of the dam during hours of darkness.
Pets are not allowed anywhere on site.
Food, chewing gum, canned drinks and drinks in cups are NOT
allowed on tour or in the buildings. Water bottles are permitted.
For More Information
For reservation information about Hoover Dam tours,
contact us during operating hours at:
Tel: (702) 494-2517
Fax: (702) 494-2587
Toll free: (866) 730-9097
Note: If you have problems with the on-line reservation system,
please e-mail jmerchen@usbr.gov about your experience.
Last Reviewed: May 2009