This video shows portions of both the Powerplant Tour and the the Dam Tour. Most visitors take the Powerplant Tour that includes a brief video on the origin of the dam, a 30 minute guuided tour of the penstocks (which carry river water to the turbines), and the generator room.
For those with more time to spend and who desire a more compete view of the inner workings of the dam, the more pricey Dam Tour is recommended. This tour, which had been stopped after 9/11, was restarted on a limited basis a few years ago. This tour includes the areas visited on the Powerplant Tour but then continues through the passageways that course through the dam and ends at the elevators on top of the dam. The only difference between this tour and its namesake prior to 9/11 is that the tour group is no longer escorted outside at the base of the dam adjacent to the powerhouse. The Bureau of Reclamation is still considering the feasibility of adding this last portion to the Dam Tour.
For those with more time to spend and who desire a more compete view of the inner workings of the dam, the more pricey Dam Tour is recommended. This tour, which had been stopped after 9/11, was restarted on a limited basis a few years ago. This tour includes the areas visited on the Powerplant Tour but then continues through the passageways that course through the dam and ends at the elevators on top of the dam. The only difference between this tour and its namesake prior to 9/11 is that the tour group is no longer escorted outside at the base of the dam adjacent to the powerhouse. The Bureau of Reclamation is still considering the feasibility of adding this last portion to the Dam Tour.