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 of 15,000 people (2021) 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

• 1 Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center, 100 Nevada Way, ☏ +1 702-293-2034. M-F 9AM-5PM. (updated Dec 2021)

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

• 1 Boulder City Municipal Airport (BLD  ^IATA). Flights to/from Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN ^IATA) in Tusayan on Grand Canyon Airlines. Other airlines only provide sightseeing tours over the Grand Canyon from Boulder City and back.  

Get around

• 2 RTC Transit, (first & last stop) Del Prado Park @ Utah St & Northgate Dr/6th, ☏ +1 702-228-7433. Route 221 serves the downtown area including the hotels that are in downtown Boulder City through Arizona St, Nevada Way, & Boulder City Pkwy on the westbound trip towards Las Vegas. In the inbound trip it goes south on Buchanan Blvd from Boulder City Pkwy and then east on Adams towards Utah St. It provides service between Las Vegas and Boulder City. In Boulder City the route begins/ends at Del Prado Park @ Utah St & Northgate/6th in the east side of town. Guided bus tours to Hoover Dam are typically booked through different tour companies in Las Vegas. No RTC service to Hoover Dam. 

See

• 1 Hoover Dam, Nevada Route 172 (east of Boulder City), ☏ +1 702-494-2517, toll-free: +1-866-730-9097, hooverdamcomments@usbr.gov. 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. (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, info@bcmha.org. 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

If you win... Chances are that, if you win it big near Boulder City and you are not a U.S. citizen your winnings will be subject to a 30% withholding tax from the Internal Revenue Service. That $10,000 slot winning can dwindle quite quickly if that is taken off the top. Not to worry though you can reclaim your gambling winnings tax through a 1042-S form. You should get this from the casino so don't lose it: it is your starting ticket to getting your gambling winnings back.

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, rboschetti@railroadpass.com. 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. (updated Oct 2017)
• 2 Hoover Dam Lodge (formerly Hacienda), 18000 US-93 (to the west in Henderson), ☏ +1 702-293-5000. (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 Sa Su 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.

• 1 Sherman's House of Antiques, 1228 Arizona St, ☏ +1 702-293-1818, brenda.bwright@gmail.com. 10AM-6PM. (updated Oct 2017)
• 2 Goatfeathers Emporium, 1300 Wyoming St, ☏ +1 702-294-0602. M-Sa 10AM-5:30PM, Su 10AM-5:30PM. (updated Oct 2017)
• 3 Boulder City Antique Market, ☏ +1 702-293-2733. (updated Oct 2017)

Eat

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

• 1 Southwest Diner, 461 Nevada Hwy, ☏ +1 702-293-1537, info@southwestdinerbouldercity.com. (updated Jul 2019)
• 2 Fox Smokehouse BBQ, 930 Nevada Way, ☏ +1 702-489-2211, info@foxsmokehousebbq.com. (updated May 2021)

Drink

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

• 1 Boulder Dam Brewing Co., 453 Nevada Hwy, ☏ +1 702-243-2739, info@boulderdambrewing.com. Su-Th noon-8PM, F Sa noon-10PM. (updated Jul 2019)

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, info@boulderdamhotel.com. 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.  
• 3 Lake Mead RV Village, 268 Lakeshore Rd #2, ☏ +1 702-293-2540. 
• 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

• Las Vegas — 20 mi (32 km) away

Routes through Boulder City

Las Vegas via ← Henderson ←	N  S	→ Kingman via → Phoenix
Las Vegas ← Henderson ←	N  S	→ Searchlight → Needles