From Florida to California and Back: 6,169 Miles of Adventure in Our Jeep Gladiator There is something special about packing up the Jeep, pointing it west, and watching America unfold mile by mile through the windshield. What started as a road trip from Florida to…
Driving from Gallup to the Grand Canyon Through Flagstaff and the Arizona High Country Leaving Gallup and heading west on Interstate 40 toward Arizona is one of the most scenic stretches of a cross-country road trip. As the miles roll by, the landscape slowly changes…
A Stop on Route 66: Staying at Hotel El Rancho in Gallup, New Mexico on a Florida to California Road Trip Driving from Florida to California is the kind of road trip that feels like several vacations in one, and one of the most memorable stops along the way is Gallup,…
Buc-ee’s Amarillo, Texas: The Ultimate Road Trip Stop for Food, Shopping, and Cheap Gas Buc-ee’s in Amarillo, Texas, is much more than a gas station—it feels like a destination all on its own. Conveniently located along Interstate 40, the massive travel center is hard…
A Spiritual Detour Along Route 66: Visiting The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Groom, Texas After leaving Wichita Falls during our cross-country road trip to California, we decided to make a detour west toward the small town of Groom to visit the incredible Cross…
One of the most unforgettable stops during our western road trip was visiting Hoover Dam on the border of Nevada and Arizona. Driving toward the dam, the massive concrete structure suddenly appears between the canyon walls, creating an incredible first impression. The views of Lake Mead stretching across the desert landscape are just as impressive as the dam itself. It’s amazing to stand near one of the greatest engineering projects in American history and see how it transformed the Southwest by controlling the Colorado River and providing water and electricity to millions of people.
Walking around Hoover Dam gives visitors plenty to see beyond just the structure itself. The visitor areas include exhibits and a museum where guests can learn about the difficult construction process during the Great Depression and the thousands of workers who helped build the dam. One of the most meaningful areas is the beautiful Two Wings of the Republic memorial, often called the Two Angel Memorial, which honors the workers and vision behind the project. Nearby, there is also a sculpture of a worker tied off from a boulder, representing the dangerous conditions many laborers faced while constructing the dam high above the canyon walls.
Another fun sight near the visitor area is the famous “Dam Dog,” a friendly dog statue and popular photo stop for tourists exploring the property. Throughout the area, there are incredible photo opportunities with the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge towering in the background above the spillway. The bridge adds another layer of impressive engineering to the landscape and creates one of the most photographed views in the area. Visitors should also know that drones are not permitted around Hoover Dam, so signs reminding guests about the no-drone policy are posted throughout the site for safety and security reasons.
Parking at Hoover Dam includes both free parking areas and a nearby parking garage that charges a fee for closer access to the main visitor areas. Depending on the time of day, the free parking spots can fill up quickly, especially during busy travel seasons. Even with the desert heat, walking around Hoover Dam is absolutely worth the stop for the history, scenery, and engineering marvels packed into one location. It’s one of those places that truly makes you appreciate the scale of human achievement set against the rugged beauty of the American Southwest.
