Travel Guide to California

2017 TRAVEL GUIDE TO

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COMPELLING STARTING POINTS

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To Make the Most of Your Trip

To Discover and Explore

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Farm to Fork, Vineyard to Wine Glass

RAILWAY JOURNEYS

BY JEFF GREENWALD & LAURIE WEED

All Aboard!

Climb on for panoramic views and a blast of nostalgia

with train robbery reenactment) or take the whole family along for a BBQ and campfire sing-along, you’re sure to find at least one train ride that shakes your caboose.

Amtrak Adventures The gold standard of California rail trips is arguably Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. Before crossing the border into Oregon, northbound passengers experience the full spectrum of California’s greatest hits.

Whether you board at Los Angeles’ Union

AMTRAK Founded in 1971 to provide intercity passenger train service across the country, Amtrak serves 46 of the 50 states and three Canadian provinces on 21,000 miles (34,000 km) of track.

Passengers enjoy themselves in the lounge car, above; the Pacific Surfliner crosses the Gaviota railroad trestle above Gaviota Creek in Santa Barbara County, above right.

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Can you hear that whistle blow? His-

you’ll pass snow-capped peaks, gorgeous

toric, romantic, immortalized in legend

forests and shimmering shorelines. The

and song, a train journey goes beyond mere

full trip, from Los Angeles to Seattle (or

transportation—it’s an experience, one that

reverse), takes 35 hours.

recalls the Golden Age of travel. With the

But accolades for the “most beautiful

historic completion of the first transconti-

train trip in North America” are lavished on

nental rail line in 1876, travelers could

Amtrak’s California Zephyr, a 51-hour

st

suddenly reach the 31 state from the East

adventure linking the Bay Area with

Coast in a seemingly magical four days—a

Chicago. The daily departure boards in

journey that previously took many perilous

Emeryville (right across the bay from San

weeks, even months, to complete. Cali-

Francisco) and crosses two mountain

fornia’s fame and fortune were built on

ranges—the Sierra Nevada to Reno, and the

those long lines of track, some would say,

Rockies to Denver—with unparalleled

and Californians still love their trains—not

vistas. You can also disembark at Truckee to

just for nostalgic reasons. There’s no better

explore Lake Tahoe, a stress-and-traffic-free

way to view the state’s magnificently

alternative to crawling over the summit in

diverse landscapes, from breathtaking

your own vehicle. If you’re drawn to a

coastal bluffs lapped by Pacific surf to red-

desert crossing, Amtrak’s Southwest Chief

wood forests, vast shimmering deserts,

connects LA with Chicago via the Mojave.

alpine lakes and towering mountain peaks.

The Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle—Amtrak’s

Whether you prefer to sip fine Napa

most southern route—joins LA with New

wines in a luxuriously restored Pullman

Orleans and Chicago via Tucson, San

car, ride the rails Old West-style (complete

Antonio and Houston.

AMTRAK; MARK WEBER

Station or Oakland’s Jack London Square,

RAILWAY JOURNEYS THE NAPA VALLEY WINE TRAIN south of Yountville, right; Indian Springs Resort & Spa, Calistoga, opposite.

Three other popular California train routes are operated by Amtrak, all of which offer free Wi-Fi service. The Capital Corridor, beloved by business commuters, runs from San Jose to Auburn (via Sacra-

train schedule and popular special events,

Second Childhood

mento), crossing the state’s agricultural

please visit the website (see sidebar).

Speaking of super-short train rides, a peren-

Central Valley. The much more scenic

Departing from Woodland, the family-

nial favorite is the Redwood Valley Railway

Pacific Surfliner, a six-hour run that skirts

run, family-friendly Sacramento RiverTrain

in Tilden Park, Berkeley, which is open on

the Pacific, joins San Luis Obispo and San

rolls leisurely through Yolo County on two-

weekends year-round. The 12-minute ride—

Diego (via Santa Barbara and Los Angeles).

to three-hour themed trips. In addition to

with hand-built steam locomotives pulling

Travelers can arrange trips to Yosemite via

offering wine, beer, food and live music on

open-bed flatcars—chugs through rustic

the San Joaquins line to Fresno or Merced,

some routes, there are several specialty rides,

tunnels and around wooded curves, with

where a waiting bus will ferry them to the

including Great Train Robberies, Beer Trains

(season permitting) panoramic views of San

national park. The San Joaquins trains run

and Murder Mysteries. Another option is the

Francisco Bay. Tickets are $3, a five-ride

between either the San Francisco Bay Area

Sierra Dinner Train, which runs on one of

ticket only $12, and children under two ride

or Sacramento and Fresno/Bakersfield.

several rail lines built in the late 19th century

free. It’s a real family experience—even dogs

to link the Gold Country with the Central

are welcome!

Valley. Today, the excursion “provides visi-

Until 1930, tourists visiting Mt. Tamal-

tors an opportunity to travel on the historic

pais—the Bay Area’s signature 2,574-foot

Sierra Railroad while enjoying a delicious

peak—could board the Mt. Tamalpais &

meal, beautiful countryside and a wide range

Muir Woods Railway: “The Crookedest Rail-

of entertainment.” Passengers board in Oak-

road in the World.” Though, sadly, that line

dale, 90 miles east of San Francisco (70 miles

was dismantled, there are still plenty of

south of Sacramento). Both the Sacramento

unusual

steam-and-theme

» CATCH A TRAIN! Amtrak amtrak.com

excursions

River and Sierra lines also offer Zombie Train

available to the 21st-century traveler. These

experiences: “One part passenger train, one

include Mendocino’s irresistible Skunk

part zombie killing machine.” Just sayin’.

Skunk Train skunktrain.com

Bragg, the Skunk navigates some 30

Historic Revivals

Napa Valley Wine Train winetrain.com

bridges, trestles and tunnels on its 40-mile

A variety of shorter train rides lace through the

journey between Fort Bragg and Willits. Fol-

California landscape, recreating (more or less)

lowing an old redwood lumber delivery

a taste of what travel was like for settlers of the

route, it’s said to be one of the “Ten most

1800s. Santa Cruz’s popular Roaring Camp

scenic train rides” in North America.

Railroad offers a Beach Train from Felton to the

Train. Starting at the coastal town of Fort

Book your tickets early for the popular

Santa Cruz shore, or a steam train into the Bear

Napa Valley Wine Train, with three-hour

Mountain redwood forests. With several trips

round trips in “meticulously restored rail

daily plus a regular “Moonlight Special,” which

cars” between Napa and St. Helena in Cali-

includes a BBQ and campfire sing-along, the

fornia’s wine country. Enjoy a la carte or

narrow-gauge Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine

gourmet dining, depending on your class of

Railroad recalls the days when logs harvested

ticket. Lunch trains run daily, with winery

in the Sierras were delivered to the fast-

tours available. For their frequent dinner

growing settlements in the Central Valley.

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Sacramento RiverTrain sacramentorivertrain.com Sierra Railroad: Oakdale sierrarailroad.com Roaring Camp Railroad roaringcamp.com Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad ymsprr.com Redwood Valley Railway redwoodvalleyrailway.com

DREW JACKSICH/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR. OPPOSITE: CALISTOGA CVB

Excursion Favorites