On scale with the enormous natural features of the area, this colossal, 15-million-ton concrete dam is second only in size to Grand Coolie Dam in Washington state and second in height only to Hoover Dam in Nevada. The dam is located at the south end of the lake on Shasta Dam Blvd.

　　Built between 1937 and 1949, its 487ft spillway is nearly three times as high as the drop of 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 daily of the structure’s rumbling interior and there's also a 21-minute video shown on request.