Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The front of the headstone marking the grave location.
Grave of Helen Peters Nosworthy
The tiger inscription is visible on a rock.
The Tiger Inscription
The Jericho Covered Bridge
Jericho Covered Bridge
Piatto Romano
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Piatto Romano
Crunchy and supremely satisfying, suppli might be the ultimate street food snack.
Supplizio
The pedigreed pistachios here are from Bronte.
Gelateria dei Gracchi
This tiny hole-in-the-wall serves one of the world’s most magnificent sandwiches.
Er Buchetto
Seafood features prominently on the menu.
Dakar NOLA
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The glass-ceilinged atrium of the Bradbury Building was inspired by Edward Bellamy’s utopian literature.
The Bradbury Building Featured in ‘Blade Runner’ Was Inspired by a 19th-Century Utopian Novel
about 11 hours ago
Berza gitana is one of the exemplary dishes of Gitano cuisine.
How Gitano Cuisine Found a Home in Andalusia
about 17 hours ago
Greenland dogs—crucial to the sledge patrol’s transport and defense—pull a patrolman’s sled.
How Greenland’s Dog-Sled Patrol Became Unsung Heroes of World War II
1 day ago
1763 Monument in Georgetown, Guyana.
The Berbice Rebellion of 1763 Ended With a Letter
1 day ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada Québec Daniel-Johnson Dam

Daniel-Johnson Dam

This artful dam holds back a crater-made reservoir that can be seen from space.

Québec

Added By
Rob Tallia
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Daniel-Johnson Dam   Rob Tallia
Daniel-Johnson Dam   Rob Tallia
Massive arches of the Daniel-Johnson Dam in Quebec.   Rob Tallia
The arches rise up to 700 feet.   Rob Tallia
Daniel-Johnson Dam in Quebec.   Rob Tallia
From the base of the dam, on highway 389   ryancarman / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

One of the world's biggest dams that created one of the world's largest reservoirs surrounding one of the world's most massive craters which was caused by one of the largest meteorites to ever strike the Earth. So there.

While this massive concrete dam isn't quite big enough to be seen from space, the reservoir it created, one of Canada's largest, certainly can be. The reservoir itself surrounds Manicouagan Crater, which usually garners most of the attention paid to the area along with the meteorite that created it. However the colossal man-made dam (formerly named "Manic-5") is a sight to see in itself. The arched concrete buttresses go as high as 700 feet, and together the 14 buttresses are nearly three-quarters of a mile long. Before the dam was completed in 1968, the water surrounding Manicouagan Crater was actually two crescent-shaped lakes. However, once the dam came online these lakes connected to form an "annular" lake with an artificial island in the middle. 

Hydro Quebec runs seasonal tours of the dam which are conducted in French, but guides at the visitor center do speak English and can answer pretty much any question. The visitor center is filled with models, simulations, and great photos of the construction process. The Daniel-Johnson Dam is a terrific example of man reacting to the earth reacting to space.   

Related Tags

Dams Craters Water Electrical Oddities Architectural Oddities Architecture

Know Before You Go

Drive north 216 kilometers from Baie-Comeau on the only road there is, Route 389. You'll run right into the dam, as it's one of the most massive structures you'll ever see. You really, really can't miss it.

Community Contributors

Added By

Rob Tallia

Edited By

Martin, Mike Portanova, Drag0nfly, ryancarman

  • Martin
  • Mike Portanova
  • Drag0nfly
  • ryancarman

Published

September 12, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.hydroquebec.com/visit/cote_nord/manic-5.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel-Johnson_Dam
Daniel-Johnson Dam
Québec, G0H
Canada
50.646667, -68.724444
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Lake Manicouagan

Rivière-aux-Outardes, Québec

miles away

Uapishka Art Cabins

Rivière-aux-Outardes, Québec

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Québec

Québec

Canada

Places 89
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Lake Manicouagan

Rivière-aux-Outardes, Québec

miles away

Uapishka Art Cabins

Rivière-aux-Outardes, Québec

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Québec

Québec

Canada

Places 89
Stories 3

Related Places

  • Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam.

    Williams, Arizona

    Ashfork-Bainbridge Steel Dam

    The first steel dam in the world and the only one still functional in the United States.

  • Stilt House No. 6 is known for its large American flag mural.

    New Port Richey, Florida

    Pasco County Stilt Houses

    These simple structures are living monuments to the fishermen who built this community over a century ago.

  • Anclote Key, Florida

    Anclote Key Lighthouse

    Though it may look like it’s missing its outer shell, this skeletal cast-iron tower was built to withstand wind and waves.

  • Burdekin Falls Dam

    Ravenswood, Australia

    Burdekin Falls Dam

    Queensland's largest dam includes a winding spillway that offers drivers a mesmerizing sight.

  • Cycling Through Water.

    Genk, Belgium

    Cycling Through Water

    This bike path was sunk below water level for maximum wonder.

  • Liebian International Building.

    Guiyang, China

    Liebian International Building

    On special occasions, one of the world's tallest artificial waterfalls gushes down the side of this Chinese skyscraper.

  • The pools at Leça da Palmeira.

    Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

    Tidal Pools of Leça da Palmeira

    An early work of the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, these swimming pools blend into the beach.

  • Bridge to Nowhere.

    Dunbar, Scotland

    Belhaven Bridge

    At high tide this strange footbridge appears to have no purpose whatsoever.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.