Places, Earth
Sundial Bridge

State Parks, Historic Sites, and Museums need your help.

Throughout the country, important state parks, historic sites, homes, buildings, and museums are in trouble. Because of the recent rise in gasoline prices and the general world-wide financial collapse, state parks, historic sites, and museums are in danger of closing. Some are being forced to sell off artifacts and property. Most operate on a thin margin and will not weather these hard times without your help.

Places Earth recently encountered closed state parks in Arizona and California is threatening to close all state parks. The story is similar throughout the country.

Places Earth urges everyone to support these vital and important public resources any way you can. Please find a worthy local or distant historic site or museum that is in financial danger and donate your treasure, time, and talent. Write to your governor and other elected officials telling them to find a way to keep these parks open. It will be your loss.

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Sundial Bridge

On July 4, 2004, a unique pedestrian bridge opened in Redding, California linking the two banks of the Sacramento River and the two sections of Turtle Bay Exploration Park. A museum is to the south and a botanic garden on the north.

A 217-foot pylon acts as a sundial casting a shadow on a white broken tile garden wall beyond from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, but is accurate only on June 21, the Summer Solstice, because, unlike a small sundial, this bridge can not be adjusted. There are no supports in the river although there is a support near the center, still on shore. Cables support the suspended section above the river as the pylon points in an opposed direction.

The bridge was designed by architect Spanish Santiago Calatrava and is 700 feet long and 23 feet wide. The deck is glass block which allows light to pass through resulting in a minimal impact on the ecosystem which includes nearby salmon-spawning habitat. The bridge is spectacularly lighted at night and gleams in natural light by day. Materials include non-skid glass panels in a steel framework on the deck with granite and broken white tile accents. The top of the white steel pylon can be seen from Interstate 5. This author "discovered" this bridge when he saw the top ten feet from I-5 and planned a return to learn more about this art piece.


Side view from the southeast, day and night.


West side of north end at night.


West side of bridge from north (left image) and south (right) at night.

From southeast through trees.

Pilon from bridge deck.


Pilon from east, day.

North end of bridge, sunrise.

Pilon from west, sunrise.


Pilon from west, sunrise.


Pilon from west, at night.


Pilon and bridge deck from the south end. Day.

Pilon and bridge deck from the south end. Night.

Pilon at night.

Dedication shield.

Sacramento River from the Sundial Bridge.


Time markers. Because the bridge can't be adjusted like a smaller sundial, it is only accurate on June 21, the Summer Solstice.

Newell post, broken white tile.

Amphitheater under the north end of the bridge.

Shasta County Main Page

This page last updated: Saturday, 09-Jan-2010 22:29:41 CST

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Places, Earth Sundial Bridge

State Parks, Historic Sites, and Museums need your help.

Sundial Bridge

This page last updated: Saturday, 09-Jan-2010 22:29:41 CST

Places, Earth
Sundial Bridge