Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 11 . SIDE TRIPS FROM LAS VEGAS
may want to call in advance to find out about current restrictions; but apparently,
even with the new measures, the tour is still pretty informative.
The usual tour begins with a 561-foot elevator descent into the dam’s interior,
where an access tunnel leads to the Nevada wing of the power plant. In the three
stops on the regular tour, you see the massive turbines that generate the electricity
using the water flow, go outside on the downriver side of the dam looking up at
the towering structure (which is pretty awesome), and then go into one of the tunnels
that contains a steel water-diversion pipe that feeds the turbines. (It’s one of
the largest steel water pipes ever made—its interior could accommodate two lanes
of automobile traffic.)
Some fun facts you might hear along the way: It took 6 1 ⁄2 years to fill the lake.
Though 96 workers were killed during the construction, contrary to popular
myth, none were accidentally buried as the concrete was poured (it was poured
only at a level of 8 in. at a time). Look for a monument outside, dedicated to
the workers who were killed—“they died to make the desert bloom”—along
with a tombstone for their doggy mascot who was also killed, albeit after the
dam was completed. Compare their wages of 50¢ an hour to their Depressionera
peers, who made 5¢ to 30¢.
For more information on the dam, surf over to its website at www.usbr.gov/
lc/hooverdam.
LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Under the auspices of the National Park Service, 1.5-million-acre Lake Mead
National Recreation Area was created in 1936 around Lake Mead (the reservoir
lake that is the result of the construction of Hoover Dam) and later Lake
Mohave to the south (formed by the construction of Davis Dam). Before the
lakes emerged, this desert region was brutally hot, dry, and rugged—unfit for
human habitation. Today, it’s one of the nation’s most popular playgrounds,
attracting about nine million visitors annually. The two lakes comprise 291
square miles. At an elevation of 1,221 feet, Lake Mead itself extends some 110
miles upstream toward the Grand Canyon. Its 550-mile shoreline, backed by
spectacular cliff and canyon scenery, forms a perfect setting for a wide variety of
watersports and desert hiking.
The Alan Bible Visitor Center, 4 miles northeast of Boulder City on U.S. 93
at Nev. 166 (& 702/293-8990), can provide information on all area activities
and services. You can pick up trail maps and brochures here, view informative
films, and find out about scenic drives, accommodations, ranger-guided hikes,
naturalist programs and lectures, bird-watching, canoeing, camping, lakeside
RV parks, and picnic facilities. The center also sells books and videotapes about
the area. It’s open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm except Thanksgiving, Christmas,
and New Year’s Day.
For information on accommodations, boat rentals, and fishing, call Seven
Crown Resorts (& 800/752-9669; www.sevencrown.com).
You can also find info on the Web at www.nps.gov/lame.
In May 2000 the park service began to charge entry fees for the first time.
Fees are $5 per vehicle, and this covers all passengers.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
This is a lovely area for scenic drives amidst the dramatic desert scenery. One
popular route follows the Lakeshore and Northshore Scenic drives along the
edge of Lake Mead. From these roads there are panoramic views of the blue lake
set against a backdrop of the browns, blacks, reds, and grays that make up the