Russian River — Cloverdale to Hopland

CA · Cloverdale → Hopland

The railroad that pushed up the Russian River toward the redwoods.

The line north from Santa Rosa and Healdsburg to Cloverdale dates back to the 1870s. In the late 1880s it was extended up the Russian River to Hopland and Ukiah, and a photo from around 1896 shows crews working on the right-of-way between Cloverdale and Hopland. In 1907 it became part of the Northwestern Pacific, which finished the route all the way to Eureka in 1914.

Passenger and freight trains ran through these oak-covered hills for most of the 20th century. In 1998 federal regulators shut down the whole line north of Healdsburg over unsafe track, and it has never really come back. The SMART commuter train now runs on the southern end, and the state plans to turn long stretches farther north into the Great Redwood Trail.

⚠️ Before you go: every railroad on this map is private property. A line that looks abandoned may still be owned by a railroad, used to store rail cars, or put back into service at any time — sometimes with no warning. Before going near any track, make sure it's truly abandoned (no recent use, rails not polished, no signals or cars stored on it) and that you're allowed to be there. Never assume a track is dead.

📷 Photos & stories from riders

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