Hoover Dam

The dam was built between 1931 and 1936, ahead of schedule, damming the Colorado in Black Canyon to make Lake Mead - 221 metres high, with enough concrete that it was poured in interlocking blocks with cooling pipes run through them, because a single mass pour would have taken generations to cure. The Depression-era design is deliberate: Gordon Kaufmann gave it Art Deco massing, Oskar Hansen made the winged bronze figures and a terrazzo floor mapping the stars as they stood at the dedication. Ninety-six workers died in the construction as officially counted. Tours go down into the power plant. The bypass bridge downstream gives the view of the dam face itself.

What you actually see

• A 221-metre arch dam - built 1931 to 1936, poured in cooled blocks.
• Art Deco detailing - Kaufmann's massing, Hansen's bronzes and star map.
• Power plant tours - down inside the structure.
• The bypass bridge - the walkway view of the dam face.

When to go

October to April; summer here runs above 40 degrees. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

Summer heat on the crest is severe and there is no shade. Security screening applies to vehicles. Tour tickets sell out midday in season. Lake Mead's water level is visibly low, with the bathtub ring on the rock.

Nearby

Lake Mead is upstream; Boulder City is west.