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If you’re looking for a day out for a curious toddler and a husband with mild train obsession – this is the place to be near San Fransisco and Santa Cruz called Roaring Camp. We had a blast when we visited. It’s a beautiful redwood forest with a steam train winding narrow-gauge grade to the summit of Bear Mountain. On a not so hot day, it’s a wonderful day out if you happen to be nearby, both for adults and children.
About Roaring Camp
Built in 1880, this steam rail road through the redwood forest offers a 75 minutes scenic ride. Originally these narrow-gauge steam locomotives were used to haul giant redwood logs out of the mountains. Some of the oldest, still functioning locomotives you can find in the US.
We purchased our tickets online which is strongly recommended to avoid queueing. However, it will not save you the fight for seating, this bit was a little annoying with a small toddler. There’s no time slot booked with your ticket, so you can get on any train you catch. I suggest to be early and visit in the morning or late afternoon and take one of the last trains.
There’s two train routes to choose from:
The Redwood Forest Steam Train Route
Route from Roaring Camp to the summit of Bear Mountain (and back) as conductors tell you about the history of Roaring Camp, the railroad and the forest. The journey takes 75 minutes and runs all year.
All departures are roundtrip to Bear Mountain, returning to Roaring Camp. Adult tickets are $43.35, children (2-12 years) $26.45, under 2s are free.
The Santa Cruz Beach Train Route
From the Santa Cruz Mountains, travel through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, San Lorenzo River Gorge, to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
All departures are roundtrip to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (except the last train at 4pm), returning to Roaring Camp. Adult tickets are $44.47, children (2-12 years) $29.63, under 2s are free.
About The Redwood Forest Steam Train Route
We opted for the steam train ride which is about an hour and 15 minutes but it only feels like a half an hour because you’re just enjoying the scenery of trees and the ride itself. The cars were open air with bench seating along the perimeter. The train does stop halfway and you can get out for a little walk in the magnificent redwood forest. Wonderful park-like grounds with some historical-looking buildings giving you an old-town feeling (I loved the room showing silent movies) and a lots of green field area for the little ones to run around. All employees wear historical costumes from the mid 1800’s. If you can, take your own food and have a picnic. The picnic area is great and the food you can buy at the cafe is quite bad. The best you can eat is hamburger and corn dog (yuck!). There’s a BBQ area where you can also buy food, but we didn’t eat there.
What else is there to see in Roaring Camp?
The town of Roaring Camp has been turned into a life size outdoor museum. There are a lot of things to see and do, apart from the steam train rides. The area’s first railroad, the Santa Cruz and Felton, has began carrying tourists to the Big Trees and to Santa Cruz (just beach back then) in 1875.
Things to see and do:
- The Covered Bridge from 1969
- Bret Harte Hall 1880 barn style venue
- General Store 1880’s style gift shop in the middle of Roaring Camp
- Train depot and ticket office
- Georgie’s Cook House
- Chuckwagon BBQ
- Picnic area (bring your own or buy)
- Kids Club with activities such as printing press, gold panning, candle making, crafts and face painting
- Other outdoor activities such as horseshoes, Thomas play tables, volleyball, hiking, mountain biking and more
- Redwood Grove Loop Trail
Making the most of your trip to Roaring Camp
To make the most of your day trip you can combine your Roaring Camp experience with a side trip to the Henry Cowell Redwood State Park, which is just next door.
Redwood Grove Loop Trail
You can easily walk the Redwood Grove Loop Trail after your train ride, as it’s only 0,9 miles and a 20 ft climb. Easily doable with small children walking too. It’s a wonderful walk and apart from the gorgeous old trees you can see some deers too!
Redwood Grove Loop Trail is the largest old-growth redwood grove south of Big Basin. It’s a glimpse into what the large redwood forests around Santa Cruz might have once have looked like.
2 comments
Oh, that scenery is beautiful! There’s something about the trees in California which make them stand out from the other trees around the world! 🙂
Yes, true! I love the coast and all my favourite places in the US are around there.