Boulder City - Boulder City

Not to be confused with Boulder, the city in Colorado.
Hoover Dam seen from the southern (Arizona) side

Boulder City is a city in Southern Nevada, which was built for construction workers of the nearby Hoover Dam. It is one of only two cities in Nevada where gambling is prohibited.

Understand

Get in

By car

US Route 93, also signed as Interstate 11 between Henderson and the Arizona state line, connects Las Vegas to Kingman (Arizona), bypassing Boulder City. The former route of US 93 through the city is now signed as US Route 93 Business.

By plane

Get around

35°58′43″N 114°49′57″W
Map of Boulder City
  • RTC Transit, ☏ 1 702 228-7433. Route HDX serves the downtown area including the hotels that are in downtown Boulder City. It also provides service between Las Vegas and Boulder City. 

See

  • 1 Hoover Dam, Nevada Route 172 (east of Boulder City), ☏ 1 702 494-2517, toll-free: 1-866-730-9097, ✉. 5AM-9PM (dam accessible), 9AM-5PM daily (visitor center); 8AM-5:15PM (parking garage). Straddling the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona, this was the world's largest dam when completed in 1935, and instrumental in generating power and providing irrigation via Lake Mead, which was created behind the dam. Even though through traffic no longer crosses the dam, instead crossing a bridge just downstream that opened in 2010, tourist traffic (and occasional employee traffic) to the dam can still be quite bad so plan your trip with extra travel time. $10 Visitor Center, with powerplant tour $15, in-depth tour $30, parking garage $10 at the visitor center & free parking on the Arizona side. Hoover Dam (Q172822) on Wikidata Hoover Dam on Wikipedia (updated Aug 2019)
  • 2 Boulder City and Hoover Dam Museum, 1305 Arizona St. (Located in the Boulder Dam Hotel), ☏ 1 702 294-1988, fax: 1 702 294-4380, ✉. M-Sa 10AM-5PM; Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 25. Tells the story of the construction of the Hoover Dam and origins of Boulder City. $2, children and students - $1. (updated Oct 2016)

Do

Gambling

The popular Nevadan pastime of gambling is not allowed in Boulder City (alongside Panaca), but two casinos are located at the edges of town just outside the city limits.

  • 1 Railroad Pass, 2800 S Boulder Hwy, Henderson (to the east (on a parcel of private land within the boundary of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area)), ☏ 1 702-294-5000, ✉. 24 hours. Railroad Pass (opened 1931) is the oldest casino in Clark County, and offers a self-guided historical exhibit of the casino and the local area. Free. Railroad Pass Casino (Q7284072) on Wikidata Railroad Pass Casino on Wikipedia (updated Oct 2017)
  • 2 Hoover Dam Lodge (formerly Hacienda), 18000 US-93 (to the west in Henderson), ☏ 1 702-293-5000. Hoover Dam Lodge (Q5637124) on Wikidata Hoover Dam Lodge on Wikipedia (updated Oct 2017)

Excursions

  • 3 Skydive Las Vegas (at the Boulder City airport), ☏ 1 702 759-3483. Offers the chance to jump out of a perfectly good airplane and get a great view of Lake Mead at the same time. (updated Jan 2017)
  • 4 Kayak Las Vegas, 1647A Nevada Highway, ☏ 1 702 293-5026. Paddle the Colorado River from the base of Hoover Dam to Willow Beach Arizona, hike to hot springs from the river. Paddle to island beaches for a swim at Lake Mead. 
  • 5 Nevada Southern Railroad Museum, 600 Yucca St (Nevada State Railroad Museum), ☏ 1 702 486-5933. Scenic railroad that operates between Boulder City and Railroad Pass using restored 1911 era passenger cars. Air conditioned in summer, heated in winter. Operates Sat-Sun year round. Engineer for an hour allows you to be your own engineer or rent the entire train for a birthday or wedding. (updated Jul 2019)

Buy

View of the Hoover Dam reservoir

The Historic Downtown district has a number of antique shops.

Eat

The Historic Downtown district offers a number of places to eat, ranging from pizza to restaurants with sidewalk tables.

Drink

While gambling is not legal in Boulder City, alcoholic beverages are. The Historic Downtown district offers a number of establishments.

Sleep

  • 1 Quality Inn (formerly Best Western Lake Mead Inn and then Lighthouse Inn), 110 Ville Dr, ☏ 1 702 293-6444. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Jan 2017)
  • 2 Boulder Dam Hotel, 1305 Arizona St, ☏ 1 702 293-3510, fax: 1 702 293-3093, ✉. Historic hotel, built in 1933 to accommodate visitors during the construction of Hoover Dam. Wireless internet access, cable/satellite TV, complimentary breakfast, coffee & tea in the lobby, free local calls, complimentary toiletries, clock radio and wake-up calls, cribs on request $75-115. Boulder Dam Hotel (Q4949555) on Wikidata Boulder Dam Hotel on Wikipedia 
  • 3 Desert Inn of Boulder City, 800 Nevada Hwy, ☏ 1 702 293-2827. 
  • Lake Mead Resort and Marina, 322 Lakeshore Rd, ☏ 1 702 293-2074. 
  • 4 Milo's Inn at Boulder, 534 Nevada Hwy, ☏ 1 702 294-4244. Quiet bed and breakfast at Milo's Wine Bar. Remodeled rooms. 
  • 5 Nevada Inn, 1009 Nevada Hwy, ☏ 1 702 293-2044. 
  • 6 El Rancho Boulder Motel, 725 Nevada Hwy, ☏ 1 702 293-1085. 
  • 7 Sands Motel of Boulder City, 809 Nevada Hwy, ☏ 1 702 293-2589. 
  • 8 Western Inn, 921 Nevada Hwy, ☏ 1 702 294-0393. 

Go next

Routes through Boulder City
Las Vegas via US 93.svg ← Henderson ← N I-11.svg S → Kingman via US 93.svg → Phoenix
Las Vegas ← Henderson ← N US 95.svg S → Searchlight → Needles
This city travel guide to Boulder City is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page .