Sundial Bridge

The Sundial Bridge is Redding's signature landmark and the easiest hour you will spend in town: a pedestrian-only cable-stayed bridge designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, opened in 2004, that carries walkers across the Sacramento River between the Turtle Bay Exploration Park campus on the north bank and the river trail and arboretum paths on the south. A single tall white pylon leans back over the water, and the shadow it throws across the deck is meant to work as a sundial, which is where the name comes from. The deck itself is translucent glass, a choice made partly so that sunlight would keep reaching the river bottom and the salmon spawning habitat below. Crossing it is free and the bridge is open to foot traffic for long hours, so there is nothing to book and no reason to rush: the best strategy is simply to come twice, once in the clear light of morning when the pylon is bright against a blue sky, and once after sunset when the glass deck is lit from within and the whole span glows against the dark river. Cyclists are asked to walk their bikes on the bridge, and the surrounding paths are flat, paved and stroller friendly.

The bridge is more than a photograph because of where it sits. On the north side it opens straight into the grounds of Turtle Bay Exploration Park, so a crossing can be the front door to a museum and gardens visit or the first leg of a river loop. On the south side it joins the Sacramento River Trail, a paved path that follows the water for miles, and the mix of cottonwoods, gravel bars and anglers working the river gives the structure a natural setting that photographs far better than most urban landmarks.

Salmon and steelhead run in the river at different times of year, and a patient look from the glass deck on a calm day can reward you with fish holding in the current below.

Wear shoes with decent grip, since the glass and its metal fittings can be slick after rain or heavy dew. The bridge is also a natural meeting point and an easy leg of an evening stroll after dinner downtown or at your hotel, especially if you are staying near the river.

Think of it as the anchor of an easy Redding day: cross the bridge, walk the river path toward the south bank, take in the gardens and the museum at Turtle Bay, and finish with a sunset loop. It also works as a rest stop on a long road trip along Interstate 5 because it needs no tickets and no planning, only comfortable shoes.

For photographers, the best compositions come from the south bank looking back toward the pylon with the river in the foreground, and from directly beneath the cable stays looking up. There is no entry fee for the bridge itself; Turtle Bay charges admission only for its museum and garden areas, so check current prices and hours before you go if you want to combine them.