We Bet You Didn't Know There Was A Miniature Stonehenge In Southern California
By Natasha Kayes|Published May 23, 2023
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Natasha Kayes
Author
I was born and raised in sunny Southern California and will never tire of the West Coast, although I spent several years living in Southeast Asia, about as far from California as you can get. Wherever I am in the world, I love straying from the beaten path, experiencing local life, and discovering hidden gems - camera in hand. The beach is my happy place and when I am not there (or writing), you will usually find me baking, watching movies, and cuddling my pugs. I have traveled around the country and around the world, and it never, ever gets old. Being able to combine my passion for travel and my love of writing is nothing short of a dream.
San Diego’s famous Coronado Island is a beautiful and popular summer destination for many, but there are some things about Coronado that even many locals don’t know. There are two roads that connect the island to the mainland. One is Southern California’s longest bridge, the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. The other is a seven-mile-long narrow isthmus to the south known as Silver Strand. It is here on this “natural bridge” that you will find an almost unknown hidden gem in San Diego.
We have all heard of the mysterious ring of stacked rocks known as Stonehenge. This ancient wonder is generally thought to a sort of seasonal clock, marking the summer and winter solstices.
Silver Strand’s seven miles are home to a state beach, resorts, marinas, residential neighborhoods, two Navy bases, and the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It is also where Schmidt Design Group created a pedestrian trail that runs along the existing highway and bike path, between the Naval Amphibious Base and Fiddler’s Cove Marina.
The path itself is named the “Nature’s Bridge to Discovery,” and features educational and interpretive panels as well as more subtle designs that pay homage to the natural features and beauty to be found in this area.
There are overlooks with meaningful shapes that mimic nature. A spiral overlook symbolizes the wind that is nearly always present here, a wing-shaped deck looks over the California Least Tern reserve, and a little pier in the shape of a blade of grass overlooks the marshy grassland.
This piece of functional artwork along the Nature’s Bridge pathway, which has gone largely undiscovered for years, has been dubbed San Diego’s “Mini Stonehenge.” Like its much larger, and far more mysterious, namesake, these block benches are set in just the right way to mark the summer and winter solstices.
The spaces between the benches and the dark lines that cross through the compass in front of them line up (and light up!) with the setting sun on the longest and shortest days of the year.
A handful of observers is always on hand at each solstice to celebrate.
The Solstice Clock is just one of five art installations or “discovery points” along the path. Another gem along the “Nature’s Bridge to Discovery” is this Meditation Cove. Its design creates a little haven of near silence. Even the sounds of the nearby highway are almost impossible to hear in the Cove.
Each little discovery zone is meant to inspire appreciation and respect for the unique ecology, wildlife, and cultural history of Silver Strand. These granite sculptures describe the migration of the endangered California Least Tern.
This hidden gem along San Diego’s Silver Strand is absolutely worth the drive. What are you waiting for? Did you have any idea that this place existed? Would you like to commemorate the summer solstice here? This is just one of the many reasons to visit Coronado in San Diego.
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