Travel Guide

Las Vegas Car Rentals and Hoover Dam

If you can manage to tear yourself away from the glitz and glam of Las Vegas Boulevard for an afternoon, US Rent-A-Car strongly recommends taking a short road-trip to the world famous Hoover Dam! An outstanding feat of engineering genius and architectural brilliance, the Hoover Dam is currently one of Nevada’s most astonishing man-made monuments, attracting nearly 10 million visitors each and every year! Located just 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam is a great family vacation destination for Las Vegas rent-a-car travelers from all over the world! Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981 and a National Historic Landmark in 1985, the Hoover Damn was built between 1931 and 1935, under Six Companies, Inc, owner Frank Crowe. Named for former president Herbert Hoover, the Hoover Damn is a concrete gravity-arch dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, separating Arizona and Nevada.

Interesting Facts about the Hoover Dam

• Construction on the Hoover Damn cost approximately $49 million dollars back in the 1930’s. When this figure is adjusted to include inflation, the total is more like $676 million!
• The hardhat was first invented and used by construction workers on the Hoover Damn project.
• 107 people died during the damns 5 year construction period and an additional 95 deaths have been attributed to structure over time.
• The Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which houses the Hoover Dam proper, is the 5th busiest U.S. National Park, attraction upwards of 10 million Las Vegas rent-a-car travelers every year!
• Up until the terrorist attacks of 2001, the Hoover Damn was utilized as a major roadway crossing connecting the neighboring communities through U.S. Highway 93. Since then truck traffic has been diverted south to a Colorado River crossing near Laughlin. A brand new bypass bridge is set to replace the Hoover Damn Highway 93 crossing in 2008.

Visiting Hoover Dam

If you’re interested in visiting the Hoover Dam during your upcoming Las Vegas rent-a-car vacation it is recommended that you arrive at the park before 4pm as pedestrians are prohibited from crossing the damn during hours of darkness. The Hoover Damn Visitor Center is open from 8am to5pm, but tickets to the main attraction will only be sold up until 4:15. Admission to the Hoover Dam is just $7. Las Vegas rent-a-car customers will also be excited to note that the Hoover Dam monument features an on-site parking garage which is also open daily from 8am to 5:45pm. Interested Las Vegas rent-a-car customers are also encouraged to participate in the Discovery Tour program, which features the following special presentations:

• Theater Displays – this section of the tour provides Las Vegas rent-a-car customers with a variety of murals, maps, photos and other display materials designed to provide travelers with an elaborate introduction to the Hoover Dam’s history.
• The Power Plant Generators – participants are encouraged to take a look at the dam’s central processing area, located nearly 500 feet down within the walls of the Black Canyon. Here travelers will find one of eight gigantic generators used to power a large section of the Nevada landscape.
• The Exhibit Gallery – located within the Tour Center, the Exhibit Gallery provides Las Vegas rent-a-car clients with an in-depth look at some the dam’s important environmental features.
• The Overlook – the crowning jewel of the Discovery Tour, the Overlook allows participants to revel in the Hoover Dam’s man-made brilliance, providing Las Vegas rent-a-car customers with stunning panoramic views of the surrounding skyline. Cameras are highly recommended for this leg of the tour!

If you would like to learn more about the Hover Dam before embarking on your upcoming US Rent-A-Car Las Vegas car rental vacation please feel free to visit the official Hoover Dam website at http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/.