On scale with the enormous natural features of the area, this colossal, 15-million-ton dam is second only in size to Grand Coolie Dam in Washington state (Hoover Dam in Nevada is the fourth biggest – but the tallest in the country). The dam is found at the south end of the lake on Shasta Dam Blvd.
Built between 1938 and 1945, its 487ft spillway is as high as a 60-story building – three times higher than Niagara Falls. Woody Guthrie wrote ‘This Land Is Your Land’ while he was here entertaining dam workers. The Shasta Dam visitors center offers fascinating free guided tours at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm daily of the structure’s rumbling interior – but skip the movie.
