Review: Mendocino County’s Iconic Skunk Train, After My Ride With 3 Kids
Mendocino County’s rural location and stunning redwood trees are two of the best reasons people choose to travel there.
Knowing exactly how to see the trees and all this rural beauty—especially if you’re traveling with kids or pets—can be a challenge, though.
Mendocino County’s iconic Skunk Train presents a perfect solution. This historic train has been traveling the Mendocino and Fort Bragg countryside since the area was little more than a logging encampment.
Now, the Skunk Train offers a fun way for rail fans, families, and curious travelers to explore the redwoods and experience nature in a unique way.
The Basics
The Skunk Train is an excursion railroad that starts right in downtown Fort Bragg, California.
It’s about a 15-minute car ride from the town of Mendocino, and Fort Bragg has lots of great little spots to pick up lunch or a coffee.
The “Skunk” name comes from the train’s historic origins. Apparently, the train was originally pulled by a steam locomotive. In the early 20th century, the train switched to gasoline power.
Old gasoline powered trains were very smoky. Locals thought the newdangled trains smelled like skunks, so they started calling the new locomotives “Skunk Trains” around 1925.
The name stuck! (Today, the train is pulled by a modern diesel locomotive).
The Skunk Train departs from a historic railroad depot in the heart of town. There’s plenty of parking, and it’s easily accessible.
We took the Pudding Creek Express ride, which is the most popular.
From there, the train winds its way through the woods on a 30-minute ride, with a unique stopover and another 30 minute return journey.
I visited with my wife and three kids. The Skunk Train hosted us so we could photograph the ride. The Bay Area Telegraph paid for food and incidentals.
Here’s what riding the train was like.
Boarding the train
We drove to Fort Bragg from where we were staying at the Little River Inn in Mendocino. Parking for the Skunk Train is fairly easy, but you’ll want to get there well in advance so you can get the best possible seat on the train.
There are modern restrooms and a nice little gift shop at the depot.
When it’s time to board, you’ll walk straight up to the historic coaches of the train.
I saw firsthand how the Skunk Train does a great job keeping the historic feel of the experience alive.
Conductors wear traditional uniforms, the depot features signs and memorabilia dating back to the train’s early days, and while the locomotive is newer, the coaches themselves remain largely the same as they would’ve looked almost a century ago.
The Skunk Train is very family- and pet-friendly. It’s also handicap accessible, and one of the entrances uses a ramp so you don’t have to climb steep stairs onto the train.
There’s a VIP seating option, but we didn’t do that. You’ll want to get there early so you can be in line and get the best possible seats.
There’s also an option to ride in the presidential class in the last car of the train.
I peeked in the window there, and it has lavish couches and a private bar—a throwback to the Pullman-style luxury coaches that were popular in the 20th century.
Even the more basic coaches are quite comfortable, though. Our train was entirely full, so we got on quickly and found some nice seats for our family.
The Ride
With a toot of its whistle, the Skunk Train departed from Fort Bragg.
The first section of the ride winds literally through the town, going through a series of level crossings.
It’s a cool perspective on the town, as you’re essentially traveling right through downtown on the train. Locals wave, and drivers wait patiently as the train winds its way through the city streets.
Once it’s clear of the town, the Skunk Train enters a beautiful redwood forest. You’re cruising along a stream (Pudding Creek), with beautiful views out over the trees and hillside.
There is a walking trail that parallels the tracks, and the train winds its way over little bridges and past benches and resting spots.
My kids enjoyed sitting inside the coach, but one of the best features of the Skunk Train is a big open-air car where you can stand outside and get a full panoramic view of the train and the forest.
We spent most of our ride standing out here. Lots of excursion railroads lack this outdoor feature or force you to choose to sit outdoors or indoors when you board the train.
On the Skunk Train, you can choose an indoor seat for when you don’t feel like being outside, but anyone can walk to the outdoor car and enjoy the unobstructed views.
One caveat about the outdoor section—the diesel locomotive that pulls the Skunk Train does produce some soot, which can land on you as you stand outside. I looked a bit like a Victorian coal miner after the ride, as I spent most of the time outdoors!
The soot does wash off, but it’s something to be aware of if you’re wearing very nice clothing.
The Food
Another big strength of the Skunk Train is the food. There’s a bar in one of the cars toward the back of the train, and you can purchase local beer, wine, hard cider, soft drinks, and more.
There are also snacks, including freshly popped movie-theater popcorn, served in a commemorative container.
This was fresh and delicious, and reasonably priced. Sipping a Diet Coke and munching on a giant tub of fresh popcorn while cruising through the redwood trees on an open-air train was a pretty perfect experience!
The Stopover
After about 30 minutes of cruising through the trees, you’ll arrive at a private spot called Glen Blair Junction, very deep in the woods.
The Skunk Train’s owners have transformed this into an awesome place to hang out or explore the redwoods.
You’ll find genuinely massive redwood trees, perfect for taking a quick photo or exploring on foot.
There’s a trail that winds its way through the forest if you feel like being adventurous.
There’s also a big open-air, barn-type structure filled with picnic tables where you can hang out.
This could easily have been an afterthought, but the Skunk Train has done a great job of making this a genuinely nice place to spend time. They apparently even host a cocktail lounge there on Fridays, with a shuttle taking people back and forth from Fort Bragg.
People hold weddings here—the spot is so picturesque. On a normal day, you can hang out at outdoor picnic tables, play lawn games like giant Jenga or Connect Four, and relax.
There’s a full bar inside the barn where you can order more drinks or snacks. My kids got some candy here to take on the ride back.
There’s also a railcar with full bathrooms inside, although the train does have fairly rudimentary bathrooms onboard as well.
One pro tip: you can bring your own picnic lunch and enjoy it here at the tables. We saw many families doing exactly that. We didn’t know that in advance, so we hadn’t planned ahead, but luckily we had plenty of popcorn to keep us fed!
You’ll spend about 45 minutes exploring the trees, hanging out outdoors, and relaxing at the stopover.
It feels like a really nice addition to the ride. Unless you’re a diehard rail fan, 60 minutes (out and back) spent aboard an excursion railway is usually plenty of time to enjoy the experience.
The stopover adds a beautiful, secluded spot in the woods where you can see the trees and hang out with your family. It’s a really nice addition to the overall experience.
Once you’re done, several toots of the whistle clue you into the fact that it’s time to get back on the train. There’s a phone number to call if anyone gets stranded!
From there, it’s 30 minutes back to Fort Bragg. Your ticket includes admission to a model railway museum right at the depot if you want to extend your railroading experience.
The Verdict
We had a fantastic time on the Skunk Train. It made a great way to spend the morning as a family.
The ride feels like just the right length, and the stopover breaks it up and gives you a chance to stretch your legs and see the trees.
I was impressed with how nice the open-air barn and entertainment area is. Next time, I would definitely bring a picnic, grab a glass of local wine, and have lunch during the stopover.
The scenery is beautiful, and it’s a great moving history lesson to ride on this historic train.
The open-air car really adds to the experience, giving you the ability to feel like you’re truly out in the woods and not just closed in a coach.
It’s nice to cruise through Fort Bragg during parts of the ride, too, and it provides a unique perspective on the town.
The only downside I would say about the experience is that it is fairly pricey, at around $60 per person. Many excursion railways tend to be cheaper.
The inclusion of the stopover extends the experience, though, turning it into a full morning and helping to justify the price. The addition of the model railway museum admission creates more value as well.
I also appreciated that the food and beverages on the train and at the bar in the woods were reasonable. With a captive audience, the Skunk Train could easily charge movie-theater prices for popcorn, but everything felt fair, which made it enjoyable to have snacks with the kids.
Overall, I would definitely recommend the Skunk Train. It feels like an iconic attraction to do if you’re in the Mendocino area, provides an easy way to get out to the beautiful redwood trees, and—especially for people with kids—nothing beats a historic train ride.
Locals may have been a bit flummoxed by the Skunk Train when it first operated in its historic logging days, but today it’s one of the core attractions of Fort Bragg and the Mendocino area.
Website: https://www.skunktrain.com/
