Page 142 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

REDDING
Headquarters for outdoor adventures
»HIKE, PADDLE,
BIKE, STROLL
Redding Visitor
Information
visitredding.com
SUNDIAL BRIDGE top;
Shasta Lake Dam, below.
CREATED BY MINING and the railroads
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this
city of 90,000 in the far northern reaches of
California has diversified its economy and
culture in recent years to emerge as an
engaging travel destination.
Located three-hours’ drive northeast of
San Francisco on Interstate 5 beside the
Sacramento River, Redding takes full
advantage of its many nearby natural
wonders. It’s an ideal base for exploring
Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen, Mount
Lassen Volcanic National Park and
Trinity-Shasta National Park. These prime
attractions offer cycling, hiking, climbing,
fishing and camping. The 11-mile Sacra-
mento River National Recreation Trail, an
asphalt path for walkers and cyclists, fol-
lows the river.
Turtle Bay Exploration Park, located near
downtown, is anchored by one of Cali-
fornia’s best examples of contemporary
architecture and engineering: Sundial
Bridge, designed by the renowned Spanish
architect Santiago Calatrava. A striking,
cantilevered beauty for walkers and
cyclists, with a translucent, hardened glass
walkway, it premiered in 2004 and became
an instant icon of Redding. At one end of
140 2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
B Y D A V I D A R M S T R O N G
the white, 700-foot-long bridge is the span’s
namesake: a sundial, one of the largest in
the world. Turtle Bay Exploration Park also
includes the Redding Visitor Center at 844
Sundial Drive.
With more than 300 days of sunshine a
year, Redding is first and foremost an out-
door recreation hub. The Sacramento River
and nearby lakes help locals and visitors
alike to beat the area’s summer heat with
ample opportunities for swimming,
kayaking and other watersports; 30,000-
acre Shasta Lake is an especially popular
place to chill. Taking free guided tours and
walking across 602-foot-high Shasta Dam
are popular, too.
Views of 14,179-foot Mount Shasta are
amply available in city and countryside.
Beholding the snowcapped volcanic peak
in 1874, naturalist John Muir exclaimed,
“When I first caught sight of it, I was weary
and 50 miles away and afoot. Yet all my
blood turned to wine, and I have not been
weary since.’’
Redding does not neglect indoor fun.
Performances are staged year-round in the
beautifully restored Cascade Theatre, a 997-
seat city landmark built in Art Deco style
and opened in 1934.
VISIT REDDING