Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

10501 Reservoir Road
Jamestown, California 95327
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Local Phone: (209) 984-3953

Located just six miles from Columbia State Historic Park in Jamestown, Tuolumne County, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is home to the Historic Jamestown Shops and Roundhouse of the Sierra Railway.

This important historical attraction combines industrial heritage and railroad history with the lore of Hollywood's film industry.

Steam-train rides are offered year-round. Visitors with dogs are allowed on the grounds and in the open observation cars once used for sightseeing in the Canadian Rockies. Guided tours are available, or you can explore on your own.

Visit the Park website for operating hours as well as park admission and train ride pricing (train ride tickets include admission to the park).

• DogTrekkers please bring your own pickup bags and, before riding, make sure your dog is not frightened by the loud sounds made by the trains.

dogtrekker.com, dog friendly, california state park, train, railroad, historic, steam locomotives, sierra no. 3, train rides, round house, movie tours, hollywood, gold country

All aboard for Gold Country history

Yosemite Mtn. Sugar Pine Railroad. Photo by Tenaya Lodge-Delaware North Companies.

Tuolumne County is the heart of California Gold Country, and to get a feel for it, you and your family will want to visit both Columbia State Historic Park, with its living history attractions, and just six miles away, the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. The steam train and water tower, featured many Hollywood movies and TV shows, is a centerpiece in what is known as the Movie Railroad.

Also, further south in the Gold Country, you will discover the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad.
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Tuolumne County: Heart of Gold Country

Gianelli Vineyards - Photo Credit: miles_chorkie_sisters

We can’t begin to count the ways you and your pup will be enchanted and entertained in the heart of Gold Country, but we can start you off on the Tuolumne County Wine and Craft Beer Trail, where we highlight five dog-friendly establishments, one of which is actually a lush, 160-acre preserve producing hard- and spirits. more »

Tuolumne County’s ‘Don’t Miss’ Family Attractions

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park - Photo Credit: @island_dog

If you’re traveling in Gold Country with family this summer, put Columbia State Historic Park on your “must visit” list. It’s a place where lasting memories are made. On weekends, you’ll encounter rumbling (and dog-friendly) stagecoaches, itinerant musicians, bonneted ladies in sweeping skirts, and swaggering, black-hatted characters who could go mano a mano with John Wayne. For city kids, this “Gold Rush town that never died” can be as much fun as Disneyland (well, almost). more »

All Aboard A Family-Friendly Choo-Choo

Wednesday rides the Skunk Train, Fort Bragg <br/> Photo Credit: @wandering_wednesday

Wednesday rides the Skunk Train, Fort Bragg
Photo Credit: @wandering_wednesday

The chug-chug and urgent whistle call of an approaching train is always exciting, especially when a vintage steam engine leads the charge. How can you hear it and see it and not want to be on it? Several family-friendly excursion trains in California welcome dogs as well as parents, grandparents and youngsters aboard. Here’s a rundown. more »

Time Out for Tuolumne County (Yosemite North Entrance)

Koda Exploring Tuolumne County <br/>Photo Credit: @dorriya

Koda Exploring Tuolumne County
Photo Credit: @dorriya

The rugged country leading up to Yosemite’s Big Oak Flat (North) entrance boasts a pioneer history as rough-hewn as the landscape itself. Tuolumne County towns along the Highway 120/49 corridors—Oakdale, Columbia, Jamestown, Twain Hart, Groveland—still have a boomtown feel, and with it, a relaxed attitude toward dogs.

Columbia, “the Gold Rush town that refused to die,” is engagingly preserved as a state historic park, its 1850s ambience captured in an array of historic buildings. more »

Woofin' It Up in Tuolumne County

Murphy at Indigeny Reserve. Photo Credit: Nikki Coleman

Like other parts of Gold Country, Tuolumne County is rich in history, rugged scenery and recreational opportunities. You can get some of both and soak up some local color too at First Friday Jamestown Art Walk-Wine-Dine & Music events, continuing through October, or 2nd Saturday Art Nights held year-round in historic downtown Sonora. Either town makes a great base for jumping off into a weekend of hiking, history and off-the-beaten path exploring. more »

Tuolumne County: North Entrance (Hwy 120)

Mike's adventure in Red Hills - Tuolumne County. Photo Credit: @mackenzierodgers

The 19th-century miners who swarmed California’s Gold Country made an indelible mark on Tuolumne County, dotting the map with a string of settlements that still have a boomtown feel. There is plenty to see and do as you and your four-legged companion wander through rugged scenery toward the Big Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite National Park. more »

Come Dog, Come All to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

Pup Riding the Rail at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

Photo courtesy: Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

Tie a bandana around Rover’s neck so he’ll look the part as you explore Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, where you’ll hear that lonely whistle blow just like it has in movies and television shows as diverse as “The Virginian,” “Little House on the Prairie,” more »

The Gold Country's Golden Chain Highway

Pocky hiking Sonora Pass

Sure, you’ve visited parts of Gold Country. But have you ever driven the entire 330 miles of Highway 49, the historic “Golden Chain Highway?” Considering all the dog-friendly places to see, things to do and history to absorb along the way, we at DogTrekker consider it a Five-Bone route for a road trip. more »

Tuolumne Tell-All

Sugar Pine Railway. Photo by J. Stephen Conn (CC)

Tuolumne County, bordering Yosemite National Park along the Highway 49 and Highway 120 corridors, played a pivotal roll in 19th-century stampede for gold and silver, and its rugged landscape is dotted with towns—Columbia, Jamestown, Twain Harte, Groveland—that still have a boomtown feel. more »

Toolin' Around Tuolumne

Dog-friendly Groveland Hotel

You’ll need time and fair weather to explore the upper reaches of this diverse county, but we’ll get you started with dog-friendly suggestions in a couple of areas ripe for a fall visit.

Sonora, the county seat, is a great jumping-off point for excursions to nearby Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, where Rover can join you as you ogle the displays and hop into an observation car for a trip on the “Movie Railroad.” more »

Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow

Tie a bandana around Rover’s neck so he’ll look the part as you explore Railtown 1897 Historic State Park, where you’ll hear that lonely whistle blow just like it has in movies and television shows as diverse as The Virginian, Little House on the Prairie, Petticoat Junction, The Lone Ranger and Back to the Future Part III. This engaging park, a branch of the California State Railroad Museum, is on the state’s hit list for closure in 2012 due to proposed budget reductions, so now is the time to pay a visit and salute California’s railroad heritage. Photo:"Locomotive at Railtown" - Marcel Marchon (CC) more »

Hail Columbia

Columbia State Historic Park is the kind of place where lasting family memories are made. Come in summer or during a special-event weekend, and you'll encounter rumbling stagecoaches, itinerant musicians, bonneted ladies in sweeping skirts and black-hatted characters who could go mano a mano with John Wayne. For city kids who have never before dipped candles, panned for gold or dressed up in 19th-century costume to have a portrait made, this Gold Rush town that never died can be as much fun as Disneyland (well, almost). more »

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

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