Scenic Niles Canyon Railway

All aboard!

This was not a hike, but a fun train ride on a heritage railway through scenic Niles Canyon between the small towns of Sunol and Niles in the East Bay. The Niles Canyon Railway runs round-trip rides on Sundays and for special events, and this is a GREAT activity for kids!  I went with a friend who has two sons who are a bit older than my daughter (they are 11 and 8, and she is not quite 2), and all the kids enjoyed the train. Each leg of the trip is just under an hour, and you can get off and spend some time at whatever town is midway for you. We opted to get on at Sunol for the first departure of the day and then stay on the train when we arrived at Niles; we grabbed a really nice lunch at Casa Bella Bistro, which is in Sunol across the street from the train station. Then, it was time for the little one to nap!

Most of the land around Sunol is owned by the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which manages reservoirs and water in the area. Although it seems like this place would be loaded with hiking trails, most of it is actually off limits to the public to protect the water running through Alameda Creek. Although you can drive through the canyon, the train gets you closer to some of the area's natural beauty. It was such a pleasure to finally do this, especially because this year is the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad, and this line was originally the westernmost portion of the transcontinental railroad. It's a bit of living history.

Click "read more" to see more photos of the ride.