Hoover Dam Walk 2026: Crest and Bridge

Booking choice: The Walk-On-Top tour, from $80 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

You can walk across Hoover Dam. You can also walk the Memorial Bridge, a quarter mile downstream, for the postcard view of the dam from above. Neither needs a ticket.

This guide covers what you see, how hot it gets, and where the best photos are.

The quick answer

Yes, you can walk the crest of Hoover Dam and the Memorial Bridge walkway at no charge. Vehicles may not stop on the dam, and you clear a security checkpoint first. The bridge sits about 890 feet above the Colorado River.

Two walkers photographing the dam from the Memorial Bridge walkway — Two visitors on the bridge walkway, with the dam face and the lake behind them.

Can you walk across Hoover Dam?

Yes. The crest is open to pedestrians and costs nothing, after you clear the security checkpoint.

The grounds are open from 5 am to 9 pm. Vehicles may not stop on top of the dam, so there is no drop-off and no pick-up on the crest. If you drive, park in the Nevada garage for $10. The Bureau of Reclamation explains the rules in full.

Two intake towers beside a guardrail on the crest of Hoover Dam — The intake towers from the crest.

How long should you spend at the dam?

Allow about an hour and a half for the walk, the bridge and photos, longer if you add an inside tour.

A 3-hour tour from Las Vegas spends roughly 45 minutes each way driving, which leaves about 90 minutes on site. Guests on the luxury SUV tour report about two hours at the dam, with the Power Plant Tour inside that. There is no time limit if you drive yourself.

What do you see from the top of the dam?

The curved dam face, the four intake towers in the lake, the Arizona and Nevada clocks and a brass state line map in the pavement.

The towers stand in Lake Mead on the upstream side. The downstream side drops away in a smooth curve of concrete toward the river. Two clocks on the powerhouse show Nevada and Arizona time, and a compass-style plaque marks the line between the states. The dam seal on the wall names the years 1931 and 1935.

A circular bronze map of Nevada and Arizona set into the paving — The state line plaque in the pavement.

How do you walk the Memorial Bridge?

A pedestrian walkway on the bridge is reached from the Nevada side, and the views of the dam are the reason to go.

The Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge sits about a quarter mile downstream, roughly 890 feet above the Colorado River (other sources say 880 feet) and about 1,900 feet long. It opened to pedestrians on 16 October 2010 and to traffic three days later. The walkway looks straight down the canyon at the dam.

The Memorial Bridge arch spanning a narrow canyon above green river water — The bridge arch above the Colorado River.

Want the bridge, the dam and the Welcome sign in one outing? A small group links them.

Check dates for the Walk-On-Top tour

Where are the best photo spots?

The bridge walkway for the dam face, the crest for the towers, and the Nevada side for the lake.

The classic shot looks across the bridge deck at the dam wall with the towers behind. From the crest you can frame the intake towers against the lake. Late afternoon light turns the canyon rust-red, and mornings are calmer.

The arch of the Memorial Bridge above the green Colorado River with the dam in the distance — The bridge arch and the dam, seen from the river side.

How hot does it get, and what should you wear?

Summer afternoons on the concrete are punishing. Wear a hat, sunscreen and sturdy shoes, and carry bottled water.

The crest has little shade. Shirts and shoes are required in buildings. You may carry sealed items and bottled water in, but you cannot eat or drink in the Visitor Center or the tour buildings. Spring and autumn mornings are the gentler seasons. Guests on the Ultimate tour report a fair amount of walking on uneven terrain.

A 5.0-rated walk-on-top tour with water and snacks in the van keeps the heat manageable.

Check dates for the Walk-On-Top tour

Why does Lake Mead look so low?

The reservoir hit a record low of about 1,040.5 feet in early August 2026, and the pale band on the rock shows it.

Reclamation figures reported by Fox Weather put the level at 1,038.5 feet on 16 September 2026, with a projection of 1,034.74 feet by the end of the year. That white mineral ring is where the water used to be.

It changes what you see: the intake towers stand taller above the surface than they did years ago.

A pale mineral band along the rock wall of Lake Mead above the dark blue water — The pale band on the rock marks how far the lake has dropped.

Which tours include the dam walk?

The 3-hour mini tour, the Walk-On-Top tour and the small-group express tour are built around it, and the inside tours add it too.

The 3-hour mini tour adds views of the Bypass Bridge. The Walk-On-Top tour adds Seven Magic Mountains. The small-group express tour adds dam admission tickets. None includes the Power Plant Tour. If you want to go inside as well, see the Power Plant Tour guide.