Question: What's more fun for kids than a train ride?
Answer: A train ride through a forest of giant trees that ends at a beachside amusement park.

That's why we consider a trip on northern California's Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific Railway to be the ideal family outing. Starting in 1875, the original locomotives on this route brought visitors from what's now the boardwalk at Santa Cruz to the towering redwood trees around the old logging town of Felton, 6 miles inland. These days, most folks take the trip in the opposite direction, descending through the forests around Felton to enjoy beachfront fun by the Pacific.

Last summer, we combined a ride on "the beach train" (as it's fondly known) with a campout at nearby Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. We made the trip with four other families, including ten kids ranging in age from 2 to 5 — my daughter, Dori, and son, Zachary, among them. Before we set off from the Felton depot, we shepherded our raucous crew on a quick tour of the railroad's 1880s logging camp, where we checked out the refurbished one-room schoolhouse and general store.

Like many preschoolers, Zachary, age 4, is a huge fan of locomotives, and simply standing close to a real train, let alone riding one, is a thrill. Multiply his excitement by ten, and you'll understand the energy generated by our group as we scrambled aboard to find spots on the wooden benches of the open-air vista car (there are also covered passenger coaches, circa 1920). The kids kneeled on their seats and leaned against the railing so they could see everything, chattering nonstop.