Running Across the Hoover Dam

Distance: 10 miles

Elevation Gain: 700 ft

Parking: Hoover Dam Parking, Arizona Side

During our trip to Las Vegas, we took the opportunity to take a break from the casinos and un across the Hoover Dam and along the Historic Railroad Trail. We parked and started on the Arizona side of the dam and ran to the Lake Mead Visitor Center and back. Along the way we crossed the dam and ran through 5 old railroad tunnels along the trail. The Historic Railroad Trail is an easy trail along a former railroad grade. It provides panoramic views of Lake Mead, overlooking the Boulder Basin area. You run through five large tunnels, and experience a portion of the railroad route that ran from Boulder City to Hoover Dam from 1931 to 1961. From the trail, you also have great views of Lake Mead and the Las Vegas Boat Harbor. We also took a detour along the trail to run out on the worlds biggest arch bridge, the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. From the bridge, you get great views back to the dam. The entire run was 10 miles and it was a well maintained path and fairly flat and easy to run on. A great stopping point is at the end of the trail at the Lake Mead Visitor Center. After a rest, you can run back along the same trail back to the dam and parking lot.

Strava Data for this Run