Arizona Helicopter

There are many ways to experience the Grand Canyon South Rim and while individual desires, time and season play a role in what activities you will do, the experience will be one to remember.  Whether you choose to hike, take a mule ride or a scenic helicopter tour, you will have wonderful memories to take with you. At Maverick, we often are asked about other points of interest besides our South Rim tours that they can do during their visit.  We have compiled a list of what we consider our top 10 activities at the Grand Canyon. 
 

1. Maverick Helicopter tour. We offer 2 helicopter tours that depart the Grand Canyon Airport. One is 25-30 minutes long and the other is 45-50 minutes long.  Depending on your schedule for your stay, you will be able to accommodate it with one of these two tours that takes you over the Grand Canyon scenery.
2. Bright Angel Trail. A wonderful hike that you can tailor to your abilities and desires.  The length of the trail is just over 12 miles and it is not suggested that you do that in one day. 
3. Grand Canyon Village. Cute shops and restaurants populate this area.
4. Mather Point. This is the most popular vantage point for the Grand Canyon.  Located closest to the park entrance and right off the main road, Mather Point is very convenient.
5. Grand Canyon Deer Farm. Kids will especially enjoy this farm and petting zoo.  40 years old this farm features dozens of deer that you can pet and feed as well as buffalo, a pot-bellied pig, peacocks and llamas.  Miniature horses, donkeys, and goats also road the farm.
6. Grand Canyon Railway. The train departs from Williams, Arizona and takes a scenic tour to the Grand Canyon and is complete with a staged hold-up of the train as well as song and story about the history of the Grand Canyon.  The Polar Express is quite popular during the holiday season.
7. Grand Canyon Rim Drive.  Relax and take in the views of the Grand Canyon as you take this scenic drive around the rim.
8. Phantom Ranch.  Situated at the bottom of the canyon, this rustic complex features cabins and dorms made of native stone and wood. Reservations are required and are often booked years in advance for popular dates.
9.  Yavapai Point and Observation Station. Offering some of the most spectacular views of the inner canyon, as well as the Colorado River and Bright Angel Canyon.  Check out the observation station, where exhibits explain the geological process that formed the canyon.
10.   Desert View and Watchtower.  Featuring a restaurant, general store and service station.  The highlight is the watchtower that was built in 1932.  Great views of the canyon can be viewed from here.

If you're visiting a city in the Southwestern U.S.A., the Grand Canyon will never be far away from you.  Located in the northwest corner of the state of Arizona, the Grand Canyon National Park is so big that it covers more than 1,900 square miles.  Thus, you can access this awe-inspiring natural wonder from a host of nearby cities.  To make it a little easier for you to plan a Grand Canyon excursion, we're compiled a chart of the most common gateway points.  We've also roughly extimated the distances and driving times from each to the Grand Canyon's three rims.  Of course, if you are in Las Vegas, remember that Maverick Helicopters can save you the long drive by providing helicopter transport to the West Rim or direct jet service to the South Rim.
 

Grand Canyon

                                    South Rim                    North Rim                 West Rim
Flagstaff, AZ                81 miles                        207 miles                 216 miles
                                   1 hr 30 min                   3 hrs 45 min             3 hrs 55 min

Phoenix/Scottsdale      231 miles                     351 miles                  263 miles
                                    3 hrs 30 min                6 hrs 15 min              5 hrs 20 min

Sedona, AZ                 119 miles                       240 miles                  249 miles
                                   2 hrs 10 min                  4 hrs 55 min             4 hrs 20 min

Williams, AZ                 63 miles                         243 miles                 186 miles
                                    1 hr                               4 hrs 15 min            3 hrs 15 min

Los Angeles, CA           510 miles                     532 miles                  387 miles
                                    8 hrs 15 min                 8 hrs 50 min              5 hrs 50 min

Albuquerque, NM         412 miles                       522 miles                  549 miles
                                    6 hrs                             8 hrs 10 min              9 hrs

Las Vegas, NV              278 miles                       282 miles                   121 miles
                                    4 hrs 25 min                  4 hrs 40 min              2 hrs 30 min

Kanab, UT                    212 miles                       68 miles                     324 miles
                                    3 hrs 30 min                  1 hr 40 min                 6 hrs 10 min

St. George, UT             296 miles                       156 miles                   242 miles
                                    5 hrs 20 min                  2 hrs 55 min               4 hrs 15 min

The Grand Canyon is not a sight to be missed so if you take a South Rim tour or any other Grand Canyon tour, a helicopter is the way to go to see the most of this natural wonder.  Maverick Helicopters provides daily helicopter tours from Las Vegas to the West Rim.  In addition we provide airplane service to the South Rim with a scenic helicopter tour from the South Rim.  Grand Canyon helicopter tours are very popular and is really the only way to experience the grand size of the canyon.  

If you would like to know more about Maverick's helicopter tours, please contact us.

Maverick Helicopter Staff Have 10 Things To Love About Hoover Dam

1. This magnificent engineering feat is the work of man. Not to diminish the amazing wonders found in nature, but the construction of Hoover Dam is a gigantic tribute to human ingenuity. A visit here may even inspire a belief in your own ability to accomplish whatever you put your mind to.

2. When you walk onto Hoover Dam, there is a point in the middle through which the state border runs. You can straddle it with a leg on the Nevada side and a leg on the Arizona side. It’s one of the few instances where you can claim to be in two places at once!

3. The Colorado River is a treacherous unpredictable river that flows through seven states—and Hoover Dam reigns in this raging torrent. It controls flooding while storing water for irrigation and for people to drink. Talk about power!

4. Actually, talking about power…Hoover Dam contains 17 hydroelectric generating units, each of which can supply power to 100,000 households. This is great for the environment as no pollutants are released—but you will spy about 2,700 miles of transmission wires running all across the Southwest to deliver electricity to eager users.

5. Hoover Dam is an example of a government project that was actually completed ahead of schedule. Construction of it began in 1931 and the last concrete was poured in 1935, which was two years before its estimated completion date.

6. Hoover Dam makes you appreciate the improvement in today’s work conditions. When the dam was constructed in the ’30s, more than 5,000 men toiled day and night in the blazing heat (temperatures often soared above 120° F). They were also exposed to dangers including carbon monoxide poisoning, dehydration and electrocution from electrical lines.

7. Hoover Dam is an example of Americans pulling together. Would you believe every state in the U.S. contributed some supplies and materials for its construction? That’s something our state governments could learn from today!

8. Hoover Dam is also an example of the grandeur of the past. It was once the world’s tallest dam towering at 726 feet. Sadly, it’s fallen in ranking over the past few decades and now holds the No. 18 spot. Currently, the tallest dam in the world is the Nurek Dam in the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan, which stands at 984 feet—dwarfing Hoover Dam.

9. In some ways, you could say Hoover Dam built Las Vegas. By the early ’20s, the gambling city’s fortunes were on the decline and the population had fallen to only 2,300. When construction of Hoover Dam began in 1931, money and people flowed into the area. Soon the population swelled to 7,500—and visitors started flocking in to check out the progress of the mighty dam!

10. Hoover Dam is spectacular from all viewpoints—up close or from a distance, on top or from the water below. You can’t go wrong no matter which perspective you choose to see it from. In fact, among the most popular Hoover Dam tours are helicopter trips because they allow you to do your sightseeing from multiple angles with ease.

Planning a trip to the Las Vegas area? One of the places you should be planning a sightseeing tour to is the beautiful Valley of Fire. We want to provide you with some facts, figure and history on this state park to help you decide on why your should experiecen this wonder.

Formed more than 150 million years ago, the Valley of Fire certainly provides you with a glimpse back in time. It’s also a place of rare beauty where the rocks take on every possible shade of red imaginable. Here’s some trivia about this natural wonder located in the Mojave Desert just 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas—so you’ll be well informed when you join all the other visitors who flock to it annually. 

By The Numbers

·        At 36,000 acres, theValley of Fire is Nevada’s largest state park.

·        Don’t get the Valley of Fire in Nevada mixed up with the Valley of Fires in New Mexico, which is a popular recreational area comprised of many miles of black lava fields.

·        The bright red colors at the Valley of Fire are a side effect of iron oxide (better known to many as rust!) found in the rocks. Manganese and other oxides are responsible for the black pigmentation, called “desert varnish,” that you’ll see on other rocks.

·        You’ll want to bring water with you because you won’t find much of it at the Valley of Fire. The area receives only four inches of rain each year—and often that comes from a single thunderstorm in July or August.

·        You can get some water from the Valley of Fire State Park Visitor Center. A well was drilled 1,500 feet beneath the ground. Power lines that provide electricity to the center are also buried 940 feet underground.

·        Among the species of wildlife you can see in the Valley of Fire are bighorn sheep, badgers, coyotes, white-tailed antelope squirrels, rattlesnakes, ring-tailed cats, desert tortoises, ravens and lizards.

·        There are nearly 20 miles of roadway in the Valley of Fire. The main road runs from west to east. You can enter on either side and the drive is gorgeous in both directions. A scenic six-mile loop also forks northward from the visitor center, where you’ll find viewpoints and the most popular trails.

·        When the Valley of Fire first opened as a state park, it averaged 9,000 visitors each year. Today, about 250,000 people visit annually.

By The History

·        Petrified logs and stumps from ancient forests that existed 225 million years ago—before the Valley of Fire was formed!—can be seen at two locations in the state park.

·        About 200 million years ago, a deep ocean basin covered the area that would become the Valley of Fire.

·        The Valley of Fire was formed about 150 million years ago, during the age of the dinosaurs. First, the floor of the ocean rose, and in the years that followed, a great shifting of sand and shaping due to the geological process of wind erosion took place.

·        Among the prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire were the Anasazi Pueblo peoples. They visited from 300 B.C. to 1150 A.D. for the purposes of hunting, gathering food and conducting religious ceremonies. Since there was little water, it was impossible for them to settle in the area.

·        In the 1890s, a renegade Paiute Indian named Mouse worked on a ferry that crossed the Colorado River. After a drunken episode where he shot up an Indian camp, his employers fired him and dumped him off in Arizona, where he killed two prospectors. Intensive searches for Mouse were conducted, but he hid in a natural basin in the rocks at the Valley of Fire. On July 11, 1897, a posse finally tracked Mouse down and he was shot and killed. His hiding spot, now known as Mouse’s Tank, is located at the end of the most popular trail at the Valley of Fire.

·        A large brick monument of a cross was erected at the Valley of Fire in June of 1949. It honors pioneer travelers including Captain John J. Clark. The retiree of the 13th New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment had been driving a wagon along the Arrowhead Trail and died of thirst in June of 1915.

·        The Valley of Fire State Park was established in 1935. It is Nevada’s oldest state park.

·        You don’t need a horse and buggy to get to the Valley of Fire today. Every mode of transportation is possible. You can go by car or bus or even by helicopter - where you can land on top of a remote plateau.

·        The Valley of Fire State Park Visitor Center was built in the late ’60s. It was remodeled in the late ’80s and features the same red color as the sandstone cliffs behind it. There are plans to remodel and expand it in the near future.

·        Since 2005, every year in November, the annual Valley of Fire Marathon is held.

 
Maverick helicopters know first hand the beauty that surrounds the Las Vegas area. We have created the best helicopter tours that include the amazing red rock formation for you to expereience. Plus, our wonderful in-house wedding planner has created a helicopter wedding package where mother natures handy work is a backdrop for your special day.

Hoover Dam: A Dam Good Look At History

I know a visit to a dam might not be the first thing on your mind when you come to an exciting, glamorous city like Las Vegas. But it should be. Hoover Dam is the most famous dam in the world. Located just 30 miles from Las Vegas, it was built in 1935 and still remains one of the greatest public works projects ever created.

Now usually I’m not all that interested in civil engineering and I’ve never had a mind for science. But seeing Hoover Dam was an eye-opening and at times jaw-dropping experience—one that made me take a moment to reflect on the ingenuity and fortitude of mankind.

When I visited, I took the 35-minute guided Hoover Dam tour that allowed me to go into the dam. I was fascinated looking at the old photographs and watching the film about the people who built Hoover Dam. It’s astonishing to imagine some of the tasks that were part of this colossal construction effort. I didn’t know tunnels were dug on both sides of Black Canyon to literally move the raging Colorado River so the dam’s foundation could be laid. Not only that, but I was amazed by the manufacturing and cooling processes for the massive amounts of concrete needed to make the blocks that would comprise the dam.

Today, Hoover Dam not only forms a reservoir of water for drinking and irrigation, but it also supplies electricity. As part of the tour, I got to take the elevator down into the dam’s heart to see where and how this electricity is generated. That was a highlight to me—getting to stand on the platform overlooking the turbine hall, which is cavernous. It’s so big you can barely see the other end of the room.

Another Hoover Dam tour highlight that I should mention was a simple one. I enjoyed strolling across the top of the dam. It’s such a great sight from above. While standing there, you can see all the water being held back and the huge intake towers. One funny thing is the change in time zones as you walk from one side of the dam to the other. In fact, there are large clocks on two of the intake towers to let you know that you are on Pacific Standard Time on the Nevada side of the dam and Mountain Standard Time on the Arizona side. The state line actually runs right through the center of the dam.

There are plenty of other great views from points all around Hoover Dam. I also enjoyed the artwork designed to honor its builders. There are two beautiful winged sculptures near a flagpole and a bronze statue of a high scaler near the café. I also spotted the grave of a dog that was a beloved pal to the workers during the dam’s construction. All of these tributes really brought that period in history alive for me.

It’s important to remember the building of Hoover Dam, which started during the Great Depression, revived this area economically—especially the city of Las Vegas. Plus, its construction was a real feat considering the place—a barren, unforgiving desert.

Maverick Helicopters a tour company based out of Las Vegas knows first hand the beauty of the southwest and has created amazing helicopter tours that take you soaring over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and Fortification Hill in our state-of-art helicopter and arrive at the Grand Canyon in style. Experience first-hand the marvel of the Hoover Dam and on the of the best helicopter tours in Las Vegas.

So believe me when I say that in this day and age, Hoover Dam is still a marvel and one that you should not miss no matter how you decide to see it.

Grand Canyon Sightseeing Customers' Have Tour Questions 
 

Any tricks for getting a great photo of the Grand Canyon during my sightseeing tour?

It can be difficult to capture one of the world’s natural wonders in pictures. Of course, the main problem with the Grand Canyon is that it’s so massive. There’s just no way to fit everything in one simple shot. So if you can afford it, we recommend getting a panoramic camera so that you can capture the whole of it. Many of today’s digital cameras do have a “panorama” or “stitch” mode. If yours does, then use it. Basically, the display will show you the last picture you’ve taken along with a live view to help you frame your next picture. In this way, you can line up a series of images. (Note: a lot of overlap is good because software programs will be able to stitch the photos together more easily.) If you don’t use a panoramic camera or have a panorama mode, you can try getting a great shot with the landscape setting on your camera. A good tip is to look at other photographs of the Grand Canyon in tour brochures or on postcards, and then simply copy the angles that those photographers used. For more information on photos our travel gal has put together some great photo tips.

Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire are among the world’s top travel tour destinations. Every year, millions of people come to enjoy these natural and manmade wonders. And when they visit they take lots of photos—hundreds, maybe even thousands of them! Most will go home with okay snapshots, while others might give up—deciding to buy postcards or a book instead. Make the most of your photo opportunities

Do I need to have a photo ID to fly?
After booking your Grand Canyon helcopter tour you will be asked to present a photo ID to check in for a Grand Canyon helicopter tour with Maverick Helicopters, Maverick Helicopters South Rim, Maverick Airlines and Mustang Helicopters. To make sure things go smoothly, bring a driver’s license, passport, military ID or even school ID with you. Other types of photo ID may also be acceptable. The main reason for presenting a photo ID is that we need to verify that the picture and name match that of the person who is flying. FAA regulations require this. Once you’ve shown a photo ID, you’ll be quickly and discreetly weighed. This is important for Maverick helicopters because the balance changes with every flight. Afterward you can relax in the lounge, and very soon you’ll be called to board an aircraft.

Need more sightseeing tour information contact Maverick staff.

What’s happening in the Grand Canyon this summer?

You might be surprised to find out that there are a lot of fun events held in and around the Grand Canyon each year. In fact, during Memorial Weekend, there will be demonstrations of tribal dances held at Grand Canyon Village.

Rendezvous Days is also scheduled in nearby Williams at the Kaibab National Forest Visitors Center from May 23-25. You’ll discover lots of interpretive displays covering the history of the area, the Northern Arizona Native American culture and the nostalgic importance of Route 66, which passes through the city.

Speaking of historic Route 66, there will also be a fun run motorcycle rally called Rumble on Route 66 from June 19-21. This event will feature performances by the Cadillac Angels and 44 Rimfire, along with a bike show, the Motorcycle Swap Meet and a special Northern Arizona ride. Visit http://www.rumbleonroute66.com for more information.
 

 
If you are planning a Grand Canyon sightseeing helicopter tours that will take you deep into the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon or soaring above the neon lights and megaresorts of the Las Vegas Strip, as well as river rafting tours that will take you down the Colorado River. Don't wait! Select from the best helicopter tours  to create a memory that will last forever.
 

10 Hot Shots

To Get Of Hoover Dam

Want to impress family and friends with picture-perfect photos from your visit? Here are some things you must snap during your Maverick Helicopter sightseeing tour over  the Hoover Dam.

1. Las Vegas Strip aerial

2. Lake Mead aerial

3. Hoover Dam aerial

4. Winged Figures of the Republic statues

5. High Scaler bronze (outside the café)

6. Hydroelectric generators inside the dam

7. Hoover Dam from ground level (on both the Nevada and Arizona sides)

8. Hoover Dam from on top (looking down at both the Colorado River and Lake Mead)

9. Intake towers

10. Bypass bridge (it’s currently under construction and will be completed in 2010)

10 Hot Shots

To Get Of The Valley Of Fire

Want to impress family and friends with picture-perfect photos from your visit? Here are some things you must snap during your Maverick Helicopter sightseeing tour to the Valley of Fire.

1. Las Vegas Strip aerial

2. Lake Mead aerial

3. Lake Las Vegas aerial

4. Valley of Fire aerial

5. The Seven Sisters

6. Petroglyph Canyon

7. The Beehives

8. Rainbow Vista

9. The White Domes

10. Arch Rock

10. Downtown/Fremont Street Experience aerial

10 Hot Shots

To Get Of The Grand Canyon (West Rim)

Want to impress family and friends with picture-perfect photos from your visit? Here are some things you must snap during your Maverick Helicopter helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon.

1. Las Vegas Strip aerial

2. Lake Mead and Lake Las Vegas aerials

3. Hoover Dam aerial

4. Fortification Hill

5. Grand Canyon aerials—above and below the rim!

6. Hualapai Indian Reservation

7. Eagle Point view

8. Guano Point view

9. Colorado River aerial

10. Grand Canyon Skywalk

Photography Tips

The Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire are among the world’s top sightseeing travel destinations. Every year, millions of people come to enjoy these natural and man made wonders. And when they visit they take lots of photos—hundreds, maybe even thousands of them! Most will go home with okay snapshots, while others might give up—deciding to buy postcards or a book instead.

Want to make the most of your photo opportunities? Here are a few tips to help you best capture these breathtaking sightseeing destinations:

• Cameras: It doesn’t matter whether you have a disposable, manual or digital camera. Just be sure to bring the one you’re used to shooting with—along with some spare batteries. Large-format, Polaroid or video cameras are also fun to try out and can provide different perspectives of the landscapes.

• Film: If you aren’t using a digital camera, you may want to have a couple of types of film on hand. Generally, film is given an ASA or ISO speed rating between 100 and 800, based on its sensitivity to light. Higher numbers are better suited to landscapes where these isn’t much light. You’ll want to use a 100-speed film during the brightest daylight hours. If you’re shooting in the morning or early evening, a 400-speed film is the better choice. TIP: Black and white film can make for remarkable pictures at these destinations.

• Lighting: Strong, direct sunlight can wash out a landscape. Sometimes it’s better to photograph during sunrise or sunset, when the light is softer—plus, you’ll capture deeper shades of red and orange in the rocks. TIP: You may want to use your flash for evening shots—when photographing people or wildlife. A flash can also fill light in some of the darker, shadowed sides of the canyons, rock formations or dam. Maverick offers a wonderful Grand Canyon Sunset helicopter tour.

• Composition: Though landscape shots seem like a cinch, they are quite tricky. Generally, the faster your shutter speed, the more detail and sharpness your photo will have. You also might try framing a distant scene with a strong foreground object—a tree, rock or person. Just make sure you are standing only an arm’s length away from it. This technique lets you spotlight the distant background and creates a three-dimensional effect.

• Stability: With helicopters, there is often vibration and movement due to the engine and rotor blades. Professional photographers usually have a VR (vibration reduction) lens to address this issue. The best thing you can do is to try not to let any part of your arm touch the frame of the helicopter while you’re shooting.

• Patience: When you visit these remarkable sightseeing destinations, almost every moment—24 hours a day—is a photo opportunity! So relax and don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of chances to get a great shot. In fact, the opportunities are so abundant they’ll reveal themselves at every dip and turn of the Maverick helicopter tour.

 
For more information on these helicopter adventures and other tour related questions please contact our Maverick staff members.

Hoover Dam: Facts And Figures

All hail the engineering accomplishment that is Hoover Dam! This giant concrete structure, which provides electricity and drinking water throughout the Southwest, is still a testament to man’s ability to construct colossal projects in the middle of nowhere. Today, Hoover Dam is a National Historic Landmark and it’s still listed as one of America’s Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders. Here’s some more history that is sure to make you utter, “What a dam wonder!”

By The Numbers

·        Hoover Dam is 726.4 feet tall—that’s from the bottom of its foundation up to its crest. The towers on the walls at its crest rise another 40 feet. When Hoover Dam was built, it was the tallest dam in the world and today it remains “the tallest concrete arch dam in the U.S.”

·        Hoover Dam is 1,244 feet long across its crest and 660 feet long across its base.

·        To build Hoover Dam, more than 5.5 million cubic yards of earth had to be dug up to make way for diversion tunnels for the Colorado River, its foundation, a power plant, cofferdams and spillways.

·        Hoover Dam is estimated to weigh more than 6.6 million tons.

·        Hoover Dam is made of concrete—more than 3.25 million cubic yards of it! This amount of concrete could pave a standard highway that’s 16 feet wide all the way from San Francisco to New York City.

·        Speaking of concrete, more than 5 million barrels of cement mix were required to build Hoover Dam. Interestingly, up until then, the Bureau of Reclamation had only used 5.86 million barrels in its 27-year construction history.

·        Hoover Dam was built in blocks. They ranged in length/width from 25 feet square at its downstream face to 60 feet square at its upstream face. The concrete that was poured into each block (i.e., its depth) was limited to five feet —as that took 72 hours to cool.

·        In order to cool the concrete (which in normal circumstances would have taken 100 years), engineers dissipated the heat by imbedding 582 miles of steel pipe through the blocks and circulating ice water. They’d built an ammonia refrigeration plant in order to chill the water—one that was so powerful it was capable of producing a 1,000-pound ice block daily.

·        Along with concrete, the U.S. government had a big shopping list to fill for Hoover Dam. The materials it needed included 45 million pounds of reinforcement steel, 21.67 million pounds of gates and valves, 88 million pounds of plate steel and outlet pipes, 840 miles of other pipes and fittings, 18 million pounds of structural steel and 5.3 million pounds of miscellaneous metal.

·        There were 21,000 men employed in the construction of Hoover Dam. An average of 3,500 men were on site daily. The average monthly payroll was $500,000.

·        Before construction could begin on Hoover Dam, a city had to be built to house all the employees and government officials. That’s Boulder City! It is situated eight miles west of the dam site.

·        Additional pre-construction work for Hoover Dam included building a 22-foot-wide highway from Boulder City to the dam site and laying 32.7 miles of railroad tracks from the main line of the Union Pacific in Las Vegas to Boulder City and the dam site. A 222-mile-long power transmission line from San Bernardino, Calif., also had to be put in place to supply energy for everything.

·        It cost $49 million to build Hoover Dam—that’s a relatively low figure in today’s world!

·        Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 1,345 megawatts, which comes from 17 hydroelectric generating units. It supplies electricity to the states of Arizona, California and Nevada.

·        Hoover Dam created Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S. with a surface area of 247 square miles. The dam can store up to 9.2 trillion gallons of water from the Colorado River (nearly two years of its flow), if necessary.

·        The maximum water pressure at the base of Hoover Dam is 45,000 pounds per square foot.

·        Each year, about 20,000 cars and trucks drive across Hoover Dam between Nevada and Arizona.

·        Over 100,000 people visit Hoover Dam Tour annually. They either drive (it’s about 45 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip) or take one of best helicopter tours provide by Maverick Helicopters to see this amazing wonder from above.

By The History

·        In 1928 the seven states through which the Colorado River runs signed the Boulder Canyon Project Act to define how much water each state could rightfully claim. This agreement paved the way for Hoover Dam to be built—along with the Imperial Dam (near Yuma, Ariz.) and the All-American Canal.

·        Hoover Dam was originally to be built in Boulder Canyon, which is located 10 miles away from its current location. The site was moved after an engineering reassessment determined the dam could capture more water in Black Canyon.

·        Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression. Men hoping for employment began drifting in to Las Vegas from all around the country as early as 1929, well before construction began. They even brought their wives and children. Since these families had nothing and work was not immediately available, their living conditions were impoverished and most settled in an infamous shantytown called Ragtown, which was located on the floor of Black Canyon next to the Colorado River.

·        When it came time to submit construction bids to build Hoover Dam, six firms formed a group called Six Company, Inc. to put together a competitive proposal. They became the lowest bidder at $48,890,955 and were awarded the contract. During construction, Six Company was offered bonuses and received threats of fines for each day they overran the construction schedule. In they end, they finished two years ahead of that schedule!

·        One of the most dangerous jobs at Hoover Dam was that of the high scaler. Men with this position had to climb down Black Canyon’s walls by rope and set blasts to remove weakened rocks from the cliffs, where the ends of Hoover Dam would join. High scalers were paid more for their bravery—they made 75¢ per hour versus 50¢ per hour, which was what the other construction positions paid.

·        The first concrete for Hoover Dam was poured on June 6, 1933, and the last concrete was poured on May 29, 1935. An average of 160,000 cubic yards of concrete were poured per month.

·        The contractors and engineers were originally allowed seven years beginning on April 20, 1931 to build Hoover Dam, along with the power plant and related structures. When the concrete placement was completed early, this led to all the construction being completed by March 1, 1936—in just under five years.

·        On September 30, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came and gave the dedication speech in which he called Hoover Dam “a great feat of mankind.”

·        Hoover Dam has undergone a couple of name changes over the years. In 1931, a congressional act was passed that followed the tradition of naming dams for sitting presidents. Thus, it was originally called Hoover Dam after President Herbert Hoover. However, when President Roosevelt took office in 1932, his interior secretary announced that it should instead be known as Boulder Dam. In 1947, the name was changed back to Hoover Dam to honor President Hoover, who had always been an avid supporter of the project.

·        Currently, Hoover Dam serves as a crossing for U.S. Highway 93, but this will change in 2010 when the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is completed as part of the larger Hoover Dam Bypass Project. The new bridge will be located just downstream of the dam. It will be the first concrete-steel composite arch bridge built in the U.S., and visitors will be able to park and walk across it for spectacular views of Hoover Dam.