California – Experiencing the Sundial Bridge in Redding
We almost didn’t stop by the Sundial Bridge in Redding. Luckily, my boyfriend remembered it before heading out of town toward Burney Falls because it is SO COOL! If you are interested in art or architecture, I recommend spending an extra half hour in Redding to walk across and thoroughly explore the Sundial Bridge. The Bridge is an asymmetric cantilever bridge over the Sacramento River. Not only is it cool to look at from a distance, but the floor of the bridge is semi-transparent glass. This makes it ever so slightly uncomfortable to walk on and super fascinating to watch people from below.
Yep, you read that right; you can cross the bridge and circle around underneath the bridge to peek into the hollow center, watch people walk on the semi-transparent glass, and also the opening next to the dial that faces the sky – a la James Turrell. Before going, I had no idea I would like a bridge this much. I also had no idea that I would end up writing about it, but here we are. Keep reading for a bit of background, a description of experiencing the bridge, and a bit of interpretation thrown in.
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A Bit of Background on the Sundial Bridge
The Sundial Bridge spans the Sacramento River in Redding for pedestrians and bicycles. In 1990, the City of Redding set aside $3 million to build a footbridge to connect two attractions. Turtle Bay Exploration Park was deeply concerned about the environmental impact on the river and salmon breeding ground. The desire to leave the river undisturbed ultimately led the bridge committee to choose Santiago Calatrava’s design in 1996. The design does not have any part of the structure in the water, and the semi-transparent glass reduces shadows on the river. With a natural north-south orientation, Calatrava incorporated the sundial feature to further incorporate the environment.
It took ten years to build the bridge, which was finally completed in 2006. No part of construction could touch the river, which delayed progress. The final cost was $23.5 million, with a private funder (the McConnell Foundation) providing over $20 million. Although initially criticized for the price and look, it is now an iconic landmark for Redding. It draws people to Turtle Bay Exploration Park and McConnell Arboretum and Garden.
I pulled this information from the following sources – if you’re interested in more information, take a look:
- “Calatrava’s Sundial Bridge was Spawned by Salmon” by Aisha Abdelhamid for Green Building Elements on Santiago Calatrava’s website
- “Sundial Bridge” on Architectuul
- “Sundial Bridge” on Turtle Bay Exploration Park’s Website
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, I definitely would stop by again the next time I’m in redding!
- Intensity: Casual clothes, comfortable shoes or sandals
- Location: Redding, California, near the Turtle Bay Exploration Park
- Cost: Free!
- Restrooms: In the park nearby or at the Sheraton hotel (don’t tell them I told you!)
- Timing: This could be a short 10 minute stop, but I ended up getting totally into it and spent about 45 minutes here.
Highlights:
- Walking across the bridge and seeing if you can see the river below.
- Watching people walk by from under the bridge – it was ghostly!
- Seeing just how large the pointy part of the sundial is close up.
- Taking photos of the architecture.
Lowlights
- I read online that the Sundial Bridge IS a sundial, but I couldn’t tell at that time in the morning. The shadow was so huge it made it over the nearby fence.
Crossing the Bridge
We arrived at the Sundial Bridge at roughly 9:05 am, when there was condensation on top up the bridge and UNDER the semi-transparent panels. It was a tiny bit nerve-wracking to step out onto the glass because there was the slight chance I was going to slip and a non-existent (but felt real) chance the glass would break. But I slowly forgot about the glass as I began to get closer to the Sundial structure and diagonal cables. I also got distracted by the beautiful surroundings on the Sacramento River. In late February, the distant mountains had a dusting of snow, there were passing clouds, and a pair of fishermen in the river in a small boat. An idyllic scene contrasted with the hyper-modern white, steel, and glass colors of the bridge.
The closer I got to the sundial structure, it seemed to grow exponentially. Soon, we had to strain our necks to see the very tip of the dial. The base of the dial is on the far side of the bridge. It kind of pulls you in as you walk, and suddenly you’re on the other side. Looking at the base, I noticed a large circular opening. There is a pathway that circles to the underside of the bridge. I excitedly ran to check it out.
The Sundial Bridge from Below
I HIGHLY recommend taking a walk around to view the bridge from below. There is a brick walkway you can follow with information about the Sacramento River and the salmon habitat along the way. The brick walkway expands to a large circular area under the bridge. From here, a couple of different things caught my eye.
Opening to the Sky and Inside the Bridge
The first thing I wanted to see was the somewhat arch-shaped opening to the sky. It’s not a perfect arch, but I’m not sure what shape to call it (let me know in the comments if you have a better description for this shape). From below, it opens up to the sky. The opening reminded me of sky space work by James Turrell. You might be familiar with James Turrell’s work from Drake’s Hotline Bling music video. As you get closer to the opening, you begin to see more and more of the underside of the dial. At 9:17 am, we also had a bit of light and shadow play on the side of the opening.
One thing that surprised me about being underneath the bridge was that the dial itself is somewhat hollow, and you can look up into it from below. With the bridge being 18 years old, even the inside is weathered and has collected soot or other debris. It also made it feel more flimsy without a solid concrete center. But it also invited even more magic – how does it hold itself up?
People, Dogs, and Bikes Passing By
And the biggest surprise and source of joy for me was watching people walk from underneath the bridge. I could see people, dogs, and bikes making their way across the bridge with the semi-transparent panels. Each figure was the darkest where they made contact with the bridge and blurred out from there. Very ghostly. My favorite thing to look out for was for pups. The canine companions were adorable to spot with four points of contact and not a care in the world. I also loved when people would turn around to look up at the dial or wait for someone. I wonder what my footprints looked like.
The Sundial is a Sundial
While visiting, I kept trying to determine if the Sundial worked as a sundial (I mean, why would they name it that beyond the look?). However, at 9:15 – 9:45 am in late-February, the shadow stretched over bushes and a fence nearby. After doing some research, I found that you can only read the time between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, which is most accurate at specific points during the year. The shadow moves an entire FOOT per minute. That seems super fast, and I would love to see it move.
Almost every article I read about the bridge described it as a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge. The cantilever spar is the sundial tower, and the cables (along with support from each side) keep the bridge from falling into the river. The sundial tower is at a 42-degree angle and must resist bending, turning, and overturning. It’s an impressive structure with only three contact points (not including where it touches the ground on each side).
Getting There & Parking
Use Google Maps (or Apple Maps) to route to the Sundial Bridge or the Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding. There is a free parking lot in front of the park (separate from the Sheraton Hotel parking). It is a short walk down to the river and Bridge. The Bridge is visible almost immediately, and you can even see it peek above the trees from various points in the city. We even saw it from the freeway heading north from Redding.
Overall Thoughts: The Sundial Bridge
While in person, I enjoyed the artistic experience of the Sundial Bridge. Specifically, I liked the semi-transparent panels, watching people underneath the bridge, modern design, and idyllic views. Wrapped up in capturing the bridge, I only briefly glanced at the informational plaques on each side of the bridge. While researching and writing about the Bridge afterward, I gained a deeper appreciation for the thoughtful design and lack of ecological impact. Overall, I’m stoked that Redding invested in an iconic art piece that also considered the environment, and I think you should check it out the next time you’re in town!
Other things to do in the Shasta/Redding area:
- In winter, consider cross-country skiing at the Shasta Nordic Center!
- After the Sundial Bridge, we headed straight to Burney Falls – read this post about it.
- We also tried to check out McCloud Falls, but the road was closed for winter, and we didn’t have enough time to hike down during this trip – something to come back to!
Have you been to an architectural gem you loved? I’m always down to check something impactful out when traveling. The Stegastein Viewpoint in Norway is another incredible piece of architecture in nature. Let me know in the comments!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
