California's Giant Christmas Tree Is One of the World’s Biggest — and You Can Only Reach It by This Train
Deep in the heart of Willits’ redwood forests patrolled by black-tailed deer, banana slugs, giant salamanders, and marbled murrelets, is what claims to be the world’s largest living Christmas tree. Located in Mendocino County, the tree is a celebrity among Californians that is only reachable by a “holly-jolly ride” on the Skunk Train. The showstopping train is part of a festive event called “Discover a Winter Wonderland with Mr. Skunk and the Giant Christmas Tree,” where visitors can experience a fantasy-style holiday ride along a scenic route that zigzags through the redwood forest, per the official website SkunkTrain.com.
Looming from the grounds of Noyo River Canyon, the beloved tree is over 200 feet tall, according to a new study shared with Travel + Leisure by Playcasino.com. In 2024, Stathi Pappas, general manager of the Skunk Train, told the Fort Bragg Advocate-News that the exact height of the tree is 222 feet (measured in 2022). Pappas guessed that the tree is somewhere between 700 and 800 years old. At this time of the year, the tree becomes lit up in parures of glittering ornaments, bevies of shiny baubles, strings of multicolored fairy lights, and glowing Christmas lanterns.
And as bewitching as it sounds, the tree is not accessible just randomly. Visitors need to book special tickets for a ride on the Skunk Train to watch the tree up close. The Mr. Skunk and the Giant Christmas Tree ride runs through December 31, and is about 2 hours long, according to their official website. The train offers multiple rides during the day, and the tickets start from $85 (with taxes). There is also an option to upgrade to a "VIP" experience that includes advanced boarding, priority concessions, and a commemorative gift. The ride also allows you to bring your feline friends.
Once the engine is ready for the day, it lugs itself towards the station, emitting hissing sounds. As its wheels clank and clatter with cacophonies of metallic sounds, the chimney coughs up a billowing trail of white smoke. With a bell clanging in the engine’s clapper and America’s flags fluttering at the handrails, the bogie is attached to the engine, and Mr. Skunk’s Train sets off for the ride. The yellow lights studded on the engine’s head blink as the train meanders its way through the shadows of dense redwood forest. At first, the view reveals city streets and buildings, gradually unfolding the dreamy landscape of towering redwood trees, moss clumps, glassy water ponds, wooden trestles, bridges, and tunnels.
Aboard the train, passengers are served with complimentary warm cocoa, cookies, and snacks. Watching the tree is a special ride where the Skunk Train departs from Willits. But the Christmas tree is not the only feature that Skunk Train passengers can enjoy. At other times of the year, the train departs from Fort Bragg and takes the passengers to a cozy, rustic bar hidden within the woods. Called Glen Blair Bar, the bar is a welcoming lair that invites people to unbutton from the stresses of life and indulge in a bounty of pleasures. Expect live music, games, signature cocktails, local beer and wine, and firepits.
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