Train excursions of the short-and-scenic variety abound in this country, from the leaf-peeping routes of New England to the wild-and-woolly rides of the American West. Children as well as adults love the two- to eight-hour experiences that typically include vintage cars and locomotives, comfortable seating and live commentary while wending through America's historic towns and breathtaking vistas.

You can find U.S. and global listings at www.traintraveling.com. My favorites include:

Alaska: Skagway's White Pass & Yukon Route is an engineering marvel that climbs nearly 3,000 feet in just 20 miles and features steep grades, cliff-hanging turns, tunnels, bridges and trestles before arriving at White Pass Summit. The route's breathtaking panorama includes mountains, glaciers, gorges, waterfalls and historic sites. This Klondike Gold Rush-era, narrow gauge railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, a designation shared with, among others, the Panama Canal, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. www.wpyr.com.

Arizona: Grand Canyon Railway, from Williams to the South Rim, was the lifeline to the National Park since 1901. After watching a staged bad guy/good guy shoot-out at the Williams station, passengers board the train for a two-hour ride through desert to the canyon's rim. Passengers have four hours to explore America's geological gem, guided or on their own, before the return trip. www.thetrain.com.

Near Sedona, four-hour Verde Canyon Railroad excursions wind through Arizona's "Wilderness Route," past Indian ruins, rare wildlife and rugged canyon landscapes where bald eagles nest. www.verdecanyonrr.com.

California: With a route crisscrossing over the crystalline Noyo River and cutting through the coastal mountains to towering Redwood forests, a ride aboard the Skunk Train is considered a highlight of the gorgeous Mendocino region. One-way or round-trip excursions on this 1885 logging rail route are offered between coastal Fort Bragg or inland Willits to Northspur Depot in the heart of the redwoods. www.skunktrain.com.

Colorado: The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, America's highest and longest narrow-gauge line, has been traversing the southern Rockies since 1880. Deemed the most spectacular example of steam-era mountain railroading in North America, the C&T climbs 10,015 feet over the Cumbres Pass. With tours lasting six to eight hours between Antonito, Colo., and Chama, N.M., the train crosses high trestles, edges along precipitous gorges and chugs through mountain tunnels. www.cumbrestoltec.com.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train twists through 52 miles of spectacular canyons in the remote wilderness of the 2 million-acre San Juan National Forest. This historic train, in continuous operation from 1882, carries passengers on rolling stock indigenous to the line, pulled by coal-fired and steam-operated locomotives. The Durango-Silverton is registered as a National Historic Landmark and has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. www.durangotrain.com.

New Hampshire: Over five hours the Conway Scenic Railway's Notch Train cuts through some of the finest natural scenery in the Northeast — past sheer bluffs, steep ravines, cascading brooks and panoramic White Mountain vistas — from North Conway to Crawford Depot or Fabyan Station. Fall foliage trips in September and October are unforgettable. www.conwayscenic.com.

Near Bretton Woods, Mount Washington Cog Railway, the world's first (1869) mountain-climbing cog railway, takes passengers on a three-hour, round-trip adventure to the summit of Mount Washington, at 6,288 feet, the highest peak in New England. It's famed for its observatory and its extreme weather. www.thecog.com.

North Carolina: Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, departing from Bryson City in the western part of the state, boasts 53 miles of track, two tunnels and 25 bridges along a fascinating landscape of lush fertile valleys, soaring mountains and dramatic river gorges. www.gsmr.com.

Washington: Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad is the longest continuously operating steam train railroad in the Pacific Northwest. A vintage 1920s steam locomotive departs from Mineral, 80 miles south of Seattle, on a two-hour round-trip excursion through forest and glen, past waterfalls and mountain streams and over towering wooden trestles, with 14,410-foot-high Mt. Rainier dominating the horizon. www.mrsr.com.

Irene Croft Jr. of Kailua, Kona, is a travel writer and 40-year veteran globetrotter. Her column is published in this section every other week.