Our second full day in Boulder City was spent seeing Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Willow Beach, all part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Nothing I had heard about the dam did justice to what I saw. What an immense, engineering project that must have been back then. Even now, it is somewhat mind boggling. This dam on the Colorado River supplies electricity to major cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

We drove through the security checkpoint along with many other vehicles, then along the top of the dam to a parking lot on the other side of the river. Parking was free in some lots but there were covered lots for a fee. We walked back along the top of the dam. We saw the large stacks with the turbines inside on the Lake Mead side. The power lines and the generators were below the dam on the river side. Lake Mead water levels have been low for a few years – water is precious and there has been less of it because of drought. 

Of course, there are Visitor Centers with good information and souvenirs.  

Boulder City housed the workers who built the dam. There are many places around the city with great views of the lake and the marina. We left the dam and traveled south on Highway 93 on a magnificent bridge. Several miles downstream we visited Willow Beach on the Colorado River. One of Kevin’s favorite places there was the brown trout fish hatchery. There were trout in all stages of growth. There were kayaks, paddleboards and pontoon boats for rent at the Beach Center as well as souvenirs of all kinds. 

The common view of the Colorado is at the bottom of a canyon with cliffs on either side. Willow  Beach is one of the rare places where you can get to the water, and I did. It was a fun place to visit.