Roaring Camp Railroad

Roaring Camp Railroads is a private heritage railroad at 5401 Graham Hill Road in Felton, right next to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. It runs two trips: the Redwood Forest Steam Train, a 75-minute narrated round trip through the redwoods to the top of Bear Mountain, and the Santa Cruz Beach Train, about an hour each way through the park and down the San Lorenzo River Gorge to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Tickets are sold by Roaring Camp, not the state park.

How Roaring Camp Relates to the Park

California State Parks describes Roaring Camp as a tourist railroad business next to Henry Cowell, and the park brochure says the privately owned railroad adjoins the park, outside the main unit, and for a fee takes passengers through the park's forest. It is not part of the state park:

• Train tickets are bought from Roaring Camp, and the park's $10 parking fee does not cover them.
• Roaring Camp has its own address, phone line ((831) 335-4484) and schedule.
• The tracks and trestles that run through the park are private property. California State Parks tells hikers and cyclists to keep off them.

Trains and the redwood grove go back a long way together. In the 1800s, Welch's Big Trees resort, which became the park, had its own train station, and the agency recounts how photographer Andrew P. Hill rode the narrow-gauge line to "Big Trees Station" in 1899; see the history page. On its walk from the campground to the grove, California State Parks even suggests stopping to look at the steam trains next door.

Redwood Forest Steam Train

Roaring Camp describes the trip as a ride over trestles, through redwood groves and up a winding narrow-gauge grade to the summit of Bear Mountain, with conductors narrating the history of the forest and the railroad. Every departure is a round trip back to Roaring Camp, and the ride takes about 75 minutes.

The locomotives are 19th-century narrow-gauge steam engines of the kind built to haul redwood logs out of the mountains; Roaring Camp names Shay, Heisler and Climax engines in its fleet, and says a 1941 Plymouth diesel may sometimes be used.

Fares listed on Roaring Camp's website (October 2026): adults 13 and older $42.35, children 2 to 12 $26.45, under 2 free. Roaring Camp notes that schedules and prices change without notice.

Santa Cruz Beach Train

The Beach Train runs from Roaring Camp through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, down the San Lorenzo River Gorge, across a 1909 steel truss bridge and through an 1875 tunnel to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The ride is about an hour each way. Roaring Camp says the line opened in 1875 and carried lumber as well as picnickers and tourists to the Big Trees.

Departures listed: from Roaring Camp at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk at noon and 4 p.m. The 4 p.m. train from Santa Cruz is one way only, with no train back to the beach. You can start the round trip from either end.

Fares listed (October 2026): adults 13 and older $46.59, children 2 to 12 $31.75, under 2 free.

Combining the Train With the Park

• Before or after the steam train, walk the flat, 0.8-mile Redwood Grove Loop Trail from the park's visitor center, the old-growth grove the railroad was built to reach.
• For the river, the park's River Trail and Meadow Trail make an easy mile-long loop along the San Lorenzo River.
• Getting between them: the park's day-use entrance is at 101 North Big Trees Park Road off Highway 9; Roaring Camp is on Graham Hill Road. See parking and directions.

Events

Roaring Camp also runs seasonal and holiday trains and events. Dates change each year, so check the calendar on roaringcamp.com before you plan around one.

Safety Near the Tracks

California State Parks' biking guide is blunt: the railroad tracks and trestles are private and can be very dangerous, so do not attempt to cross any trestle. When you hike the River Trail or ride Rincon Fire Road, stay on the marked route.