Enchanted Forest (Oregon)

Enchanted Forest
Enchanted Forest's entrance
Interactive map of Enchanted Forest
Location8462 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates44°49′59″N 123°00′30″W / 44.833085°N 123.008249°W / 44.833085; -123.008249
OpenedAugust 8, 1971 (1971-08-08)[1]
OwnerRoger Tofte/Tofte family
Area20 acres (8.1 ha)
Attractions
Total10
Roller coasters2
Water rides1 [note 1]
Websiteenchantedforest.com

The Enchanted Forest is a seasonal theme park located in Turner, Oregon, on a small patch of hilly wooded land next to Interstate 5, just south of Salem, Oregon. The park was created and hand built by Roger Tofte over a period of seven years in the late 1960s. The park first opened to the public in 1971. Early success led to many expansions over the last half-century, mostly built again by Tofte by hand. The Tofte family still owns and operates the 20-acre (8.1 ha) park, with three generations of the family involved in the day-to-day operations.[2]

History

In 1964, Roger Tofte purchased 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land in Turner, Oregon for US$4,000 (equivalent to $41,524 in 2025), money he had earned repairing watches working for the state.[3] expecting the construction of the park to take two years. Due to lack of money, zoning, and poor weather, as well as Tofte's vision of the park expanding, the construction took seven years.[4][5] Tofte retained his job while building Enchanted Forest, only working on the project in his free time.[6] Tofte built many of the park's structures himself, including all of the initial structures along the Storybook Lane, mentioning he created any cement structures using a rebar frame cover covered with metal lath, upon which he sculpted cement.[5][7][8]

In 2006, the Challenge of Mondor ride was opened featuring dragons and monsters.[9] The original 1971 Humpty Dumpty display was damaged in July 2014 and was replaced the following month with a new sculpture of the character.[10]

Before 2020, the park averaged 200,000 visitors per year. The park struggled financially during COVID, and crowd-funded $360,000.[11]

In March of 2024, the park was voted Newsweek's readers' choice "Best Family-Owned Amusement Park" in the country.[12] Park founder Roger Tofte died in February 2026.[1] The business is currently managed by Tofte's two daughters.[1]

Attractions

The park is divided into various areas that the park classifies as "attractions". Initially opening with just the Storybook Lane in 1971, the Tofteville Western Town and Old European Village were added in later expansions. The Haunted House attraction was opened in 1974. Enchanted Forest also features a "Summer Comedy Theater", which showcases original musical plays based on classic fairy tales, written by Susan Vaslev.

Rides

The park features attractions such as the Ice Mountain Bobsleds roller coaster, the Haunted House, and the Big Timber log ride, the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.[13] The Challenge of Mondor is an ETF Ride Systems indoor trackless interactive ride featuring dragons and monsters.[9]

Ride Opened Manufacturer Description
Big Timber Log Ride Example E&F Miler Industries A combination of a log flume and roller coaster ride type. Themed to a logging mill. Features a roller coaster section and a 40-foot (12 m) drop into a splashdown.
Ice Mountain Bobsled 1983 Ascott Design A roller coaster with enclosed cars that begins in an icy mountain. Originally built with trains which ran along a 24-inch-wide (61 cm) fiberglass track, the ride was modified in 1985 to use traditional steel tubular track.
Challenge of Mondor 2006 ETF Ride Systems, Sally Corporation A trackless shooting dark ride.
Speedway Bumper Cars 2007 A bumper cars ride.
Haunted House 1974 Enchanted Forest A walkthrough attraction themed to a haunted house.
Carousel 2017 A carousel featuring horses, ostriches, bunnies, and a pig.
Kiddy Frog Hopper A 20-foot-tall (6.1 m) ride aimed at a young demographic.
Up and Away Ferris Wheel A Ferris wheel-like ride aimed at a young demographic.
Tiny Tune Train 2007 A train ride around themed sculptures.
Kiddy Bumper Boats A bumper boats ride aimed at a young demographic.

Park schedule

The park is open on a seasonal schedule: opening in late March, weekends only in April, daily from May to Labor Day, and then weekends only through September.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the park did not adhere to its usual schedule for the 2020 season. The park was able to open daily with reduced capacity beginning June 26 with COVID-19 safety practices in place.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ Big Timber Log Ride is classified as both a roller coaster and water ride

References

  1. ^ a b c Sparling, Zane (February 13, 2026). "Founder of iconic Oregon roadside amusement park dies at 96". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  2. ^ Ozug, Matt (August 9, 2018). "How A Labor Of Love Grew Into An 'Enchanted Forest' In Oregon". NPR.
  3. ^ Pesznecker, Katie (July 18, 1999). "Thrill-Ville, Enchanted Forest offer summer fun". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved April 15, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "The Enchanted Forest's Tofte family finds their Happily Ever After". Statesman Journal. August 14, 2001. Retrieved April 15, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "What's a forest if it isn't an enchanted one?". The Oregonian. July 27, 1972. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  6. ^ "Enchanted, I'm sure". The Oregonian. April 29, 1993. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  7. ^ TravelSalem (July 11, 2012). Enchanted Forest (YouTube). Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  8. ^ "Bringing back the magic". Albany Democrat-Herald. May 6, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Another challange [sic] for ETF Ride systems in Salem, USA" (Press release). ETF Ride Systems. June 7, 2008. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  10. ^ Killen, Dave (August 26, 2014). "Humpty Dumpty returns to Enchanted Forest, defying incompetence of King's horses and men". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  11. ^ Orr, Donald. "Enchanted Forest theme park owners struggle to survive the pandemic". OPB. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  12. ^ Acker, Lizzy. "Oregon institution voted best family-owned amusement park in the country". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  13. ^ "Rides Information". Enchanted Forest. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  14. ^ "Updated List of Coronavirus Theme Park Closures". Coaster101. March 13, 2020.
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