Hoover Dam, Lake Mead NRA, Valley of Fire State Park
Given that today followed two very long and arduous drives (well, around 15 to be accurate!), we decided to visit the above attractions and do 'the Strip'!
Hoover Dam
Spent almost 2 hours walking and photographing the dam, finding ‘the shot’ from the Arizona side.
Note: Parking is $7 on the Nevada side from Las Vegas. After paying and parking we walked up to the viewpoints on the other side to find that 3 tiers of car parking space (for around 200 cars), was free! I’m not endorsing one state’s policy over another but you do the math!
The day was Memorial Sunday and over 300 bikers arrived and congregated on tier 2 Arizona side, much to the consternation of the local police who immediately dispatched 3 patrol cars to oversee this gathering.
They were still there when we left – happy holiday guys!
Facts:Hoover Dam, was formerly called Boulder Dam.
Hoover Dam is a concrete arch gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, marking the border between Arizona and Nevada.
In 1935, it was both the world's largest electric power producing facility and the world's largest concrete structure.
It is currently the world's 34th largest hydroelectric generating station
Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA)
Lake Mead NRA is a startling contrast of desert and water, mountains and canyons, primitive backcountry, and modern technology – nature and human activity shaping this fantastic region, which is one of the hottest, driest regions on Earth.
After following the western road, taking in several viewpoints across Lake Mead, towards Overton and the Lost City Museum featuring adobe homes.
From there we back-tracked 8 miles to take in the fantastic Valley of Fire State Park – only$6 and worth every penny (yes, they even have those over here!) The payment process is built entirely on trust with visitors filling out a form, tearing off a strip and posting the main part and their $6 into an unmanned ‘postbox’. We opted to visit the information station and pay in person. How can it be soo cheap we often ask ourselves? I mean, $6, £3, its worth it just to drive past the entrance!
Valley of Fire State Park
The Valley of Fire contained some of the most amazing red rock landscape I have ever seen. The red sandstone formations were formed from great shifting sand dunes during the dinosaur age (150 million years ago), and shaped by complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion.
Highlight – The red sandstone ‘Beehives’, so-called because of their stratified and ovoid shapes – like beehives themselves!
Facts:
It is the oldest of Nevada’s state parks, dedicated in 1935.
Size: 34,840 acres
50 miles northeast of Las Vegas, between I-15 and Lake Mead (6 miles east)
Journey Notes and Details
Distance: 213 miles
Duration: 9 hours
Temperature: 77-89F
Weather: Sunny with some cloud
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