Hoover Dam to Las Vegas: Drive, Parking and Tickets

Hoover Dam is one of the desert tour Las Vegas options that you can fit into a morning or an afternoon. The sight is big and the route is short, but the tickets and the security checks need a plan.

Step 1: Measure Hoover Dam to Las Vegas by road

Hoover Dam sits about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, on the border of Nevada and Arizona. The Bureau of Reclamation gives that distance and this route from Nevada. Take I-11 south, which is the same road as US-93, through Boulder City. Take Exit 2, then the third exit at the traffic circle onto NV-172. Follow NV-172, the Hoover Dam Access Road, to the dam.

No public bus to the dam shows up on the official pages. The National Park Service says that no public transportation serves the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which lies next to the dam, and that tour operators run trips from many Las Vegas resorts. Without a car, a guided trip is the way to go.

Pro Tip Put "Hoover Dam Access Road" into your map app along with "Hoover Dam". The route leaves the highway at Exit 2, so you know when to turn.

Step 2: Plan the drive and the security checkpoint

No official page gives a drive time from Las Vegas to the dam. The agency only warns of possible delays during holiday and summer travel. The trip is about 30 miles, so leave time for traffic and for the checkpoint, and check a map app on the day. The Bureau of Reclamation and the National Park Service publish no minutes for this drive, so any time you see elsewhere is an estimate.

Any vehicle can be inspected at the Nevada checkpoint. Visitors who decline the inspection cannot go past it. Plan your bags before you leave the hotel.

• Firearms, drones, fireworks, explosives and marijuana are banned.
• Knives of any size and weapons are not allowed in any building.
• Bottled water is allowed. Sealed food may come along but cannot be eaten inside buildings.
• Only service animals may enter the dam or the buildings.
• Visitors under 16 cannot tour alone.
• You pass a metal detector before you buy tickets.

Stopping on top of the dam is prohibited, even to drop someone off. Use the parking areas instead.

Step 3: Choose where to park at Hoover Dam

The Nevada-side garage near the Visitor Center costs $10 per vehicle, and two lots on the Arizona side are free. The Bureau of Reclamation lists the prices: Lot 9 on the Arizona side costs $10, and Lots 13 and 14 cost nothing. RVs, trailers and oversized vehicles must use the Arizona side.

Parking is easy to find: the garage is by the Visitor Center, and the Arizona lots are on the same site. For most cars, the garage is the simple choice because it sits by the Visitor Center. The free lots save $10, but the pages used here do not say how far they are from the ticket office. If you plan a long visit, the walk may cost you more time than the $10 saves.

A guided trip from the Strip avoids parking, because the bus drops you at the dam. A Lake Mead cruise, listed in Step 5, includes parking at its own dock in Boulder City.

Key Takeaway Parking at Hoover Dam is $10 in the Nevada garage and Arizona Lot 9, and free in Arizona Lots 13 and 14, so a car trip costs $10 or less to park.

Step 4: Pick your tickets and check the hours

The Dam Tour costs $40, the Power Plant Tour $25 and the Visitor Center $15, and the Dam Tour is sold on site only. All three come from the Bureau of Reclamation. Children aged 3 and under are free on all of them.

Buy Dam Tour tickets with your whole group present, because the tour often sells out. Arrive early. The Dam Tour does not take strollers or motorized wheelchairs.

The Visitor Center and tours run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Doors close at 4:15 p.m., and the last tour leaves at 4:10 p.m. The dam site itself is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Bureau of Reclamation lists the quietest Power Plant Tour times as 9 to 11 a.m. and 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. America the Beautiful passes do not cover the tours.

Reclamation does not say how long its tours take. No official page says how long a self-guided visit takes. Plan for a half day, including parking and the security line. The guided trips from Las Vegas list 3 hours and 5.5 hours.

Step 5: Decide between driving and a guided tour

A guided tour is worth it if you do not want to drive, park or queue, and driving yourself costs less if you have a car. Driving costs $10 or less for parking plus the ticket you pick. A guided trip adds the ride, hotel pickup and a guide.

Things to Do in Las Vegas's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 7 Hoover Dam trips from Las Vegas that do not also go to the Grand Canyon, from €49 to €224, with a middle price of €76 per person.

• Shortest is the 3-hour small-group mini tour, from €62 per person. It rates 4.8 from 931 reviews on GetYourGuide, takes up to 14 people and is run by Mr Las Vegas Tours. Hotel pickup from select Strip hotels is included along with the dam entry ticket and bottled water.
• Longer is the Hoover Dam tour with lunch, from €53 per person, takes 5.5 hours and rates 4.8 from 289 reviews. Comedy on Deck Tours runs it for up to 35 people, with a guided power plant tour and a hot lunch.
• Last is the Hoover Dam inside tour, from €76 per person, takes 5.5 hours and rates 4.5 from 312 reviews. National Park Express runs it. It includes a tour inside the dam and a stop in Boulder City, and it is not suitable for wheelchair users.

All three offer free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, as the listings state. Pickup is at a Strip hotel, and the inside tour offers Excalibur or Treasure Island. Check the includes line of each listing for what is left out, because the $40 Dam Tour is sold only on site.

Drivers can add the 90-minute Lake Mead cruise, from €49 per person, adds a boat ride below the dam. It rates 4.6 from 216 reviews and leaves from Lake Mead Cruises at 490 Horsepower Cove in Boulder City. Parking is included. The listing does not include the ride from Las Vegas or the Lake Mead park fee.

Compare the full list of every Hoover Dam tour Las Vegas offers if you want more options, from the bus trips to the kayak and helicopter outings.

The best day at a famous place starts with the tickets decided, not with the line you find at the door.

A tour is the wrong choice if you want the official $40 Dam Tour. You can only buy that on site, so you need your own car and an early start. The tours above also run on the operator's schedule, so you cannot stay as long as you like.

For a night near the dam, Boulder City has the Boulder Dam Hotel and The Sands Motel, both rated 8.8 or higher on Booking.com. For other bases, see where to stay in Las Vegas.

Prices and ratings above are as of October 2026.