Sacramento River Trail, Redding

The Sacramento River Trail is the signature run in Redding. The winding, paved Rail-Trail travels from the Sundial Bridge  — a running destination itself — west as far as the Shasta Bridge, a total distance of 15.6 miles. The are great views of the Sacramento River, Keswick Reservoir and Shasta Lake. There are numerous additional trails and spur options off the SRT.

One-Way Option

Start in Redding at the Sundial Bridge — an iconic bridge over the Sacramento River in the shape of a sundial, with a glass path lit at night. Head west along the northern bank of the river. Key distances & landmarks:

• 1.4 miles: Redding Park & Diestelhorst Bridge (pedestrian bridge)
• 4 miles: Sacramento River Trail Bridge — cross over to south bank. NOTE: From here it’s a 250 foot gain over 1 mile to Keswick Dam
• 5 miles: Keswick Dam
• 7 miles: Keswick, West St. access @Spring Creek. From here west, trail is more remote
• 12 miles: Matheson
• 15.6 miles: End of trail @Shasta Dam in Coram. Can continue west for 1 mile along the road to access the bridge crossing over to the Shasta Dam Visitor Center & Additional Trails

Loop Options

The trail runs along both banks of the river for 2.5 between the Sundial Bridge and the Sacramento River Trail Bridge. So this would be a good 5-mile loop. For a 9 mile loop, run along the north bank from the Sundial Bridge to the Sacramento River Trail Bridge, then cross to the south bank, returning east for 2.5 miles. crossing the Diestelhorst Bridge back to the north bank.

Add-Ons

Additional trails at the east end in the Turtle Bay area in central Redding. At Keswick Dam, there are extensive trails on the north side of the Keswick Reservoir. And, scenic trails at Shasta Dam.