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Photo: No machine-readable author provided. David.Monniaux assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This is the second largest dam in the U.S. (and the dam with the world's greatest overflow spillway), and provides electricity to the majority of the North Central Valley, and flood protection to the whole Central Valley. It is worth visiting just to enjoy the view from the top, but is not for acrophobes.
Shasta Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam across the Sacramento River in Northern California in the United States. At 602 feet (183 m) high, it is the eighth-tallest dam in the United States. Located at the north end of the Sacramento Valley, Shasta Dam creates Shasta Lake for long-term water storage, flood control, hydroelectricity and protection against the intrusion of saline water. The largest reservoir in the state, Shasta Lake can hold about 4,500,000 acre-feet (5,600 GL).
© OpenStreetMap contributors
This lake is fairly crowded, and for good reason. It has many inlets, including the North Sacramento River, the McCloud River, the Pit River, and some creeks. The one outlet is the Lower Sacramento River, which makes that river to the south of the lake so huge (in width). It is best to go in the fall.