Medford Railroad Park

Free Things to DoOutdoor Kid ActivitiesParks and Playgrounds
Written By The Southern Oregon Mom
A yellow and blue miniature train moving along a train track with four additional tracks in background. A row of small red and blue miniature buildings peeks through a line of green bushy trees and gray rocks. A search bubble at the top of the image

A visit at the Medford Railroad Park

Have you heard about the Train Park in Medford?

Mom friends kept telling me I needed to check it out once it opened for the season in April. It was on my radar of things to do for months honestly. But my toddler doesn’t really have much interest in trains plus Spring and Summer were so busy with events it seemed like the timing always had conflicts on the select few days the park was open.

We finally made it a priority to try it out midsummer. Oh what a fool I’d been!!!! We could’ve been enjoying this magical place since April!! So let me give you the scoop on what this place is so you won’t be full of regret like me.

Here are the basic need-to-know details to get you started:

The Medford Railroad Park is located at 799 Berrydale Ave in Medford, OR. It’s open April-October from 11-3 on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Kids 1 and up can ride the trains. It’s completely FREE.

A large red and gray train engine with the numbers 8182 painted in white idles on a railroad track waiting for passengers to climb aboard. A conductor wearing an orange shirt and blue cap is seen in background talking to other volunteers.

Large ride-on train

Now onto the fun details!

The park has several trains for kids and adults to ride on. The line is usually packed but it really does move quickly because there are several trains running. The ride itself is around 8 minutes long and takes you through the park with lots of cute scenery to see on your journey. There are even overpasses and a few tunnels!

A blue train engine shaped like thomas the tank engine rides along a railroad track. Four wooden crate shaped passenger cars follow the engine. A conductor wearing an orange shirt and sunglasses is driving the train into the station while parents and

Thomas Train

There’s a smaller Thomas the tank engine train with little crate shaped cars meant for younger kids to ride solo around the track (although I’ve seen parents squeeze in them too). This ride is only a couple minutes long and circles around the model train section.

a miniature village with model train tracks running over a bridge a large lake is in the foreground and mountains in the background. the words southern pacific railroad are painted in white on a building.
miniature train village with multiple gray and green bridges crossing over water. a large yellow tower stands in the background.
thomas the tank engine and percy trains run along a dinosaur themed landscape
a multi tiered countryside with model train tracks.
a tall gray model of hogwart's castle is surrounded by curving train tracks
model trains run across bridges in large countryside and villages
a county fair and farm with mini farm animals and barn with an elevate train track running along the foreground.
a large lot of beige sand and gray gravel has remote controlled construction equipment working.
A yellow and blue miniature train moving along a train track with four additional tracks in background. A row of small red and blue miniature buildings peeks through a line of green bushy trees and gray rocks.

The model train section is nothing short of awe inspiring. They’ve created entire mountainsides and villages with trains running through. There’s amusement parks, dinosaurs, and even a crocodile in the water! They have mini remote controlled construction equipment being driven by volunteers and a section where kids can drive the model trains with remotes. There are also a few buildings to explore in the park and learn more about trains. Don’t miss checking out the red train caboose- it’s got air conditioning.

Eating at the Park

A marker board shows the menu options for the concession stand closest to the large trains. Options include hot dogs, nachos, and ice cream bars. A paper plate in top right corner reads we accept card payments

You’re welcome to bring your own food into the park, but the volunteer groups running it have concession stands to raise funds. It’s incredibly affordable ($2 snow cones $5 burgers etc). I’ve included the current menus and pricing from our latest visit.

Parties and Events

You can also reserve tables for parties and gatherings. Prices start at $35, and you get to enter the park a few minutes early to set up. One station even has a bbq and mini fridge.

Donations

a large white sign with blue border reads welcome to the medford railroad park.

The park is completely run by volunteer groups. Groups (plural). Each section has donation jars. The donations are not pooled so it’s important to know which ones you are putting any donation dollars in as they all need support to keep going.

Parking

On days with good weather the park is so popular parking can be hard to find. My advice is to arrive early or wait until later in the day (after lunchtime) to visit.

I’m sad it took me so long to go see what the train park was all about, and I hope you’ll take your littles to go explore it before it closes for the season. One last note to mention- on the final run day of the year at the end of October, everyone comes dressed in their Halloween costumes!

Be sure to check out our Activity Guides to other FREE and low cost things for kids to do in southern Oregon. Our family friendly Fall Guide has all the details on pumpkin patches, hay rides, eclipse events, and spooky stuff.

The Southern Oregon Mom
Previous

Top Kid Events this week: 9/25-10/1
Next

Top Kid Events this week: 9/18-9/24