About 90 minutes from Berkeley is a magical redwood forest with a real steam train chugging up and down steep passes. If you’ve never made the trip to Roaring Camp Railroad, you’re missing something special.
What to expect at Roaring Camp Railroad
There are a couple of different options: you can drive to the train depot in Felton, which is situated in an historic small town with a blacksmith, a general store, an ice cream counter, gold panning, and candle making.
The steam train option takes you through the beautiful redwoods in a loop. You’ll return to Roaring Camp after a 75-minute ride.
Or, you can get a diesel train with open cars that goes back and forth between Roaring Camp and the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk. Choose this route and you’ll either park in Felton and go to the Boardwalk, where you can stay for an hour or five hours, your choice of when to return on the train. Or, you can start in Santa Cruz, go to Roaring Camp, and have a one-hour layover to enjoy the mini-town before you re-board the train.
Activities in the town rotate and are subject to change with the seasons. Some may be included with train ticket purchase. Find out in the General Store.
Book your tickets in advance>>
Plan your visit to Roaring Camp Railroad
- See schedules and information at www.roaringcamp.com.
- Book your tickets in advance and plan to arrive about 30 minutes before your scheduled departure.
- Pricing for train tickets is $25 – $45
- Pricing for activities at Roaring Camp varies. We spent $25 for four people to pan for gold. Each day, at least one of the activities is free and the rest are fee-based.
Other excuses to visit Roaring Camp near Santa Cruz
Throughout the year, Roaring Camp Railroads has many special events on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, as well as the always popular Thomas and Percy’s Halloween Party. So if you have a small person in your house who can’t get enough of Thomas, Chuggington, and every other chugging choo choo out there, you might even want to spend a whole train-themed weekend in Santa Cruz.
