The Mount Shasta Dam is an incredible place to visit. We took our dog Teddy there last May. It was his first outing with his wheelchair so we were very excited for multiple reasons. I had never visited a Dam before and I honestly didn’t even know this one existed. I was looking up random unique places to visit in the area and the Shasta Dam popped up.

Fun Facts:

• The Mount Shasta Dam is a whopping 602 feet high which makes it the 8th tallest dam in the United States.
• It contains 6.5 million cubic yards of concrete which weighs approximately 15 million tons.
• The Dam serves many different purposes. These include flood control, power generation, water supply management, and even helps in wildlife habitat maintenance.
• If you visit the visitors center you can watch a movie explaining how the Dam was constructed.
• The Dam supplied electricity to California factories during World War II.

As you pull up to the Shasta Dam you can park at the visitors center off to the left. There is a large parking lot that could easily fit any size vehicle. It has picnic benches and large grassy areas for you to sit and eat lunch while viewing the dam. If you go inside the visitors center there are bathrooms, a souvenir shop, and some neat hands on activities for kids to interact with. You can also go visit the theater to watch a movie of the dam being constructed. There are employees scattered throughout the area if you have any questions. Multiple in the visitors center, a few at the toll booths located at the entrance to the dam, and a few in the large building once you’ve crossed the dam.

You walk a short distance from the parking lot, through a grassy area, and then you reach the dam. There is a large sidewalk on the left side and a smaller one on the right side which does not continue the entire way. There is very little traffic across the dam so you can freely cross back and forth to view either side. I believe you can drive across if you plan on fishing on the other side but don’t quote me on that.

There are no real directions needed to get across since it’s a straight shot but it’s a very enjoyable experience. It was a bit uncomfortable to stare down the side of the Dam. If you’re afraid of heights I wouldn’t recommend it.

The white railing that is there to protect you from sliding down the side of the dam was about chest height on me. I’m not tall by any means standing at almost 5’3 but my boyfriend being about 6’1 wasn’t bothered by the height.

There are no additional safety measures on the other side of the railing so use caution with children.

The walk is about 3/4 of a mile each way. The sidewalk is smooth and perfectly straight. There are no hills, no inclines, declines, nothing of the sort. We know it’s wheelchair accessible because Teddy used his! As I mentioned it was our first outing with him and he absolutely loved it. He wasn’t used to his wheelchair just yet so we brought the wagon in case he needed the rest. The wagon worked out exceptionally well and fit within the boundaries of the sidewalks.

When you get to the opposite side of the dam there is a large structure with a few guards standing in it. There was a parking lot off to your left, which was under construction at the time of our visit, and a road that continues on your right. I believe this is the road you could continue down to go fishing.

There were no benches we saw on that side, no bathrooms, and no other structures around besides the guard tower. We stopped for a few minutes, took some pictures, drank some water, let Teddy get out to go potty, and then continued on our journey back.

There are tours of the Dam available that include a walk across the top of the dam, an elevator ride down 400 feet, and a tour of the power plant. Limited to 20 people per tour. Call ahead to double check available times and days of tours because they are subject to change without notice.