SUNDIAL BRIDGE, Architectural Wonder in Redding, California

 52 Places to Go: Week 25

Sundial Bridge, Redding, CA. The pylon is so tall (217 feet) I had to tip my camera sideways to get it all in.

In the spring of 2014, I was in Red Bluff, California, doing presentations to students in the historic renovated State Theater. At the north end of the San Joaquin Valley, Red Bluff is about 100 miles from Sacramento along Route 99.  From the main street of this charming Victorian town I could see across the Sacramento River to the snow-capped top of Mount Lassen to the west.

State Theater, Red Bluff, CA

One afternoon, after my presentations were finished, I drove 30 miles north to Redding to see the famous Sundial Bridge and take a walk along the river.  The Sundial Bridge, opened July 4, 2004, spans the Sacramento River at Turtle Bay. A suspension bridge designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it is both beautiful and eco-friendly. The huge pylon (the sundial arm) connects to cables that support the bridge, allowing it to avoid interrupting the nearby salmon-spawning habitat since there are no supports in the water.  

The bridge walkway is made of steel, glass and granite.

The translucent glass surface lets light through to the water’s surface, both adding to the bridge's aesthetic qualities and minimizing its impact on river life. The bridge is open only to pedestrian traffic.  The view from the bridge is magnificent. Looking west toward the foothills and coastal range, I watched a fisherman trying his luck and a flock of Canada geese floating in the water.

Sacramento River, Redding, CA, view from the Sundial Bridge

I walked across the bridge from the south side of the river, ending at a large open area ringed with markers showing where the tip of the sundial’s shadow falls at the summer solstice.

At noon on the Summer Solstice, the Sundial's shadow reaches this marker.

From there I took a short walk in the Botanical Garden where a variety of spring flowers were in bloom.

Botanical Garden in the McConnell Arboretum

When I returned to the other side, I visited the Turtle Bay Museum, a small nature museum with exhibits featuring wildlife along the river.  I then walked along part of the extensive trail system that borders the river. It was a beautiful spring day and I was hoping to catch sight of the bald eagles that I was told had a nest along the river.  I didn’t spot any eagles but heard numerous smaller birds and saw plenty of ducks and geese in the water. Someday, I’d like to go back when I have more time and bicycle along this beautiful stretch of California river habitat and enjoy more of its wildlife.

For more about my visit to Red Bluff, see my May 28, 2014 post at Caroline Arnold's Art and Books.

Sacramento River Trail near the Turtle Bay Museum

This article was originally published 9/29/14.

All text and photographs copyright Caroline Arnold