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2 0 1 7 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A 143 » Forest Tracks Built in 1885 to haul redwood logs from the tangled backcountry to coastal sawmills, the iconic Skunk Train now carries passengers on two different runs starting at Fort Bragg and the inland town of Willits, respectively. The shorter coastal route snakes along the Novo River canyon, through redwood groves and past an old logging camp. And don't worry: The train's name derives from an original, stinky gasoline engine that long ago was consigned to the junkyard. › skunktrain.com » Drive-Thru Tree It's an urge that belongs to another era—and certainly wouldn't gladden the hearts of Muir or Thoreau—but there are still a few places along the North Coast where you can drive your car through a tunneled-out redwood tree. The most convenient is Drive-Thru Tree Park, near the town of Leggett, just off Highway 101. But be warned: The opening in the so-called Chandelier Tree is just 6 feet wide and 6 feet, 9 inches tall. Not all supersized SUVs can squeeze through. › drivethrutree.com » On the Waterfront Eureka has transformed its waterfront Old Town from a skid row into a lively and inviting district of Victorian storefronts housing restaurants, galleries, shops and museums, crowned by the iconic Carson Mansion, a masterpiece of Victorian opulence. › eurekaoldtown.com » Ferry Tales Tour Humboldt Bay aboard the Maraket, the last of a fleet of tiny ferries that once carried mill workers to their jobs. It's the oldest vessel in continuous service in the country, with the tiniest licensed bar in California. › humboldtbaymaritimemuseum.com » Victorian Hamlet Gaily painted Victorian mansions line the streets of Ferndale, an idyllic hamlet on the Eel River delta in southern Humboldt County. Lovingly preserved, they give the town a turn-of-the-last-century look that has proven irresistible to Hollywood. More than a dozen movies have been filmed here. Main Street's shops keep the Victorian theme going, with old-fashioned mercantiles and even a blacksmith shop. Cradled between two redwood forests, the entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. › victorianferndale.com SUNSHINE, FOG, SEA and forest grace the coast between Crescent City and Eureka, above; Roosevelt elk bulls joust during September breeding season in Redwood National and State Parks, right. MUST DO SEE, » The sounds of chainsaws and buzzing sawmills that once dominated the North Coast are rapidly fading as the lumber industry winds down. In former mill towns such as Fort Bragg, tourism is replacing timber as innovative galleries, restaurants and brew-pubs spring to life. Although it's sometimes called the Redwood Empire, the North Coast is more than just tall trees: It's also salmon- fishing boats bobbing in tiny harbors; Roosevelt elk bugling across misty meadows; steam trains chuffing through a damp and dripping forest; hole-in-the- wall restaurants serving fish smoked according to traditional Native American INSIDER'S TIP » To satisfy a lumberjack-sized appetite, drive across HUMBOLDT BAY on the SAMOA BRIDGE to the SAMOA COOKHOUSE for colossal, all-you-can-eat meals served family style. The last surviving cookhouse of its kind in the U.S., it's been serving hungry mill workers, longshoremen and tourists since 1890. samoacookhouse.net