The closest any tour gets you to Hoover Dam is on the water, right at the foot of it. Two of the three trips below do exactly that, because the Hoover Dam Postcard Tour puts you on a motorized raft in the restricted stretch of river directly beneath the dam, and the only real question is whether somebody drives you there or you drive yourself. The third is a Grand Canyon day that pauses on the bridge above. All three are worth booking for different trips, and they're ordered here by how much of your day you spend at the dam itself.
Hoover Dam Postcard Tour with Transfers: the river, and a ride to it
The Hoover Dam Postcard Tour with Transfers collects you at the LINQ Promenade, underneath the observation wheel, and hands the entire logistics problem to somebody else. You get about 90 minutes on the Colorado River in Black Canyon with a captain narrating, a snack bag of water, fruit, chips and a cookie along the way, and a ride back to the Strip the same afternoon. Best suited to anyone without a rental car, which in Las Vegas is most people.
Departs: LINQ Promenade, under the observation wheel. Format: narrated motorized raft, about 90 minutes on the water. Ages: all ages, with life jackets provided and required for children 12 and under.
Check Postcard Tour with Transfers dates
Hoover Dam Postcard Tour: same river, your own wheels
The Hoover Dam Postcard Tour is the identical river trip with the transportation stripped out, so getting to the departure point outside Boulder City is on you. What the ticket really buys is access. The launch sits in the secured zone at the base of the dam, which nobody reaches without a permitted raft, kayak or canoe, and from the water you pass the old catwalk, the gauging station and the concrete steps and rails left behind by the construction crews. The canyon walls run close to 2,000 feet above the river on either side. Book this one if you've already got a car and would rather not lose two hours to a shuttle.
Departs: outside Boulder City, self-drive. Format: the same narrated raft trip, snack and bottled water included. Ages: all ages, life jackets provided.
Check Postcard Tour departure dates
Grand Canyon West Rim and Hoover Dam Photo Stop Bus Tour: the view from the bridge
The Grand Canyon West Rim and Hoover Dam Photo Stop Bus Tour is a Grand Canyon day first, and an honest one. It runs a little over ten hours door to door, gives you roughly four hours at Grand Canyon West across Eagle Point and Guano Point, brings you home through a Joshua tree forest, and stops for 30 minutes on the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, where the walkway looks straight down on the dam. Two things to know going in: Skywalk admission isn't included and gets bought on site, and lunch comes with select tickets rather than every one. Made for the traveler with a single free day who wants the canyon and will take the dam as a bonus.
Departs: hotel pickup on the Las Vegas Strip, by motorcoach. Format: full-day trip, four hours at the West Rim plus a 30-minute dam photo stop. Ages: all ages, though it's a long day for small children.
When the answer changes
Two situations flip the recommendation. If you're flying out the same evening, the motorcoach prohibits luggage, large backpacks, suitcases and coolers, so the bus tour and an airport run don't combine. And if the dam is the actual reason you're going, treat the bridge stop as a viewpoint rather than a visit; 30 minutes with a camera is a different thing from 90 minutes on the river underneath it.
Pick by where you want to be standing
On the water at the base of the dam: either Postcard Tour, with transfers if you don't have a car. On the rim of the Grand Canyon with the dam as a stop along the way: the bus tour. One thing nobody warns you about: there is no shade on the water and none at the base of the canyon, so a hat and sunscreen do more for this trip than anything else you pack, and the glare off the rock in the middle of the day is fierce. If you'd rather paddle yourself, we've written up the Black Canyon kayak tours separately, and the wider Hoover Dam tour roundup covers the options that go inside the dam itself.
