Travel Guide to California

2015 Travel Guide to California

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76 2 0 1 5 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A CA.RAILWAY JOURNEYS Three other popular train routes are oper- ated by Amtrak. The Capital Corridor runs from San Jose to Sacramento, crossing the state's agricultural Central Valley. The Pacific Surfliner, a six-hour run that skirts the Pacific, joins San Luis Obispo and San Diego (via Santa Barbara and Los Angeles). It offers bicycle and surfboard racks, as well as free Wi-Fi. Trips to Yosemite can be arranged via the San Joaquin line to Merced, where a waiting luxury bus takes visitors into the national park. Excursion Favorites Until 1930, tourists visiting Mt. Tamal- pais—the Bay Area's signature 2,574-foot peak—could board the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway: "The Crookedest Railroad in the World." Though that line was sadly dismantled, there are still plenty of unusual excursions available to the 21 st - century traveler. These include Mendocino's irresistible Skunk Train. Starting at the coastal town of Fort Bragg, the Skunk navigates some 30 bridges, tres- tles and tunnels on its 40-mile journey between Fort Bragg and Willits. Following an old redwood delivery route, it's said to be one of the "Ten most scenic train rides" in North America. Book your tickets early for the popular Napa Valley Wine Train, with three-hour round trips in "meticulously restored rail cars" between Napa and St. Helena in Cal- ifornia's wine country. Back on track after the 2014 Napa Quake, proceeds from wine sales benefit quake victims. Enjoy a la carte or gourmet dining, depending on your class of ticket. Lunch trains run daily, with winery tours available. For the frequent dinner train schedule, please visit their website (see sidebar). Departing from Woodland, the Sacra- mento RiverTrain features beer, wine, fine food and live music as it follows the Sacra- mento River on a three-hour, 32-mile trip. There are several specialty rides, including Sunset Dinners, Great Train Robberies (on Saturdays) and Murder Mysteries. The same railroad also offers the Zombie Train: "One part passenger train, one part zombie killing machine." Just sayin'. Another dinner option is the Sierra Rail- road, one of several rail lines built in the late 19 th century to link the Gold Country with the Central Valley. Today, the excursion "pro- vides visitors an opportunity to travel on the historic Sierra Railroad while enjoying a deli- cious meal, beautiful countryside and a wide range of entertainment." Passengers board in Oakdale, 90 miles east of San Francisco (70 miles south of Sacramento). Historic Revivals A variety of shorter train rides lace through the California landscape, recreating (more or less) a taste of what travel was like for settlers of the 1800s. Santa Cruz's Roaring Camp Railroad offers a Beach Train from Felton to the Santa Cruz beach, or a steam train into the Bear Mountain redwood forests. Departing at 11 every morning (plus 12:30 on weekends), the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad boasts a narrow-gauge reminder of the days when logs harvested in the Sierras were deliv- ered to the fast-growing settlements in the Central Valley. And though it's "The Shortest Railway in the World" (just 298 feet!), a ride up the incline served by the Angels Flight Railway in downtown LA, dating from 1901, is probably the most fun (and definitely the most funicular) you can have in Los Angeles for 50 cents. Second Childhood Speaking of super-short train rides, a peren- nial favorite is the Redwood Valley Railway in Tilden Park, Berkeley. The 12-minute ride—with hand-built steam locomotives pulling open-bed flatcars—chugs through rustic tunnels and around wooded curves, with (season permitting) panoramic views of San Francisco Bay. Tickets are $3, a five- ride ticket only $12. It's a real family experience—even dogs are welcome! » CATCH A TRAIN! Amtrak amtrak.com Skunk Train skunktrain.com Napa Valley Wine Train winetrain.com Sacramento RiverTrain sacramentorivertrain.com Sierra Railroad: Oakdale sierrarailroad.com Roaring Camp Railroad roaringcamp.com Angels Flight Railway angelsflight.com Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad ymsprr.com Redwood Valley Railway redwoodvalleyrailway.com VINTAGE YOSEMITE RAILROAD steam train, right. MICHAEL WARWICK/SHUTTERSTOCK

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