We HAD to stop at the Hoover Dam on the way back to Vegas from our Arizona adventures. Squid had just read the Percy Jackson series, and had remembered a scene that took place in the Hoover Dam, so she was looking forward to seeing it. Unfortunately, due to Covid, there weren’t any tours for us to take, but we definitely enjoyed the views!
Hubby and I had been there in March of 2008, and we were surprised by how much it had changed! Before, you used to have to drive straight through the Hoover Dam to get to Nevada from the Grand Canyon. Now, it was an exit off of the highway. And speaking of that highway, there was a fantastic pedestrian portion of the bridge over the dam so that you could get this amazing view:
It was crazy to see the new parking garages and gift shop. We were bummed we couldn’t take a tour, but we knew that going into the visit. The girls were not thrilled about the heat….
Hubby and I had a great time comparing the dam with last time’s visit. We felt bad for the guards standing in their black uniforms and masks performing the vehicle checks of every car, truck, etc that went through their checkpoint!
Here’s what the bridge looked like as they were working on it in 2008 vs what it looked like finished and running on our trip:
The water levels were interesting to compare, too, as this area is in a dangerous drought.
Overall, it was a fun stop, though the girls were less than thrilled about the heat and the stairs/walk to the pedestrian portion of the bridge. However, they loved getting their picture taken with half of their bodies in Arizona and the other half in Nevada!
Car Full of Harmony 
Published by