Trees are among the oldest guardians of life on Earth. They give us the air we breathe, shelter the living world around us, soften storms and heat, and stand patiently through generations, watching human stories unfold beneath their branches. Forests are not just collections of trunks and leaves—they are living systems of protection, memory, and renewal.

I remember visiting with my parents when I was younger.  When we walk among trees, we are walking among quiet providers of life, resilience, and wonder.

It was in this spirit that Roger Tofte imagined the Enchanted Forest—not as a place that conquered nature, but as a place that lived within it. When he dreamed of the Enchanted Forest in Oregon, he didn’t picture just an amusement park. He envisioned a world where children could step out of the ordinary and into stories, where imagination could breathe as freely as the air under the trees, and where the forest itself would be part of the magic.

Roger was not simply the founder of the Enchanted Forest; he was its architect of wonder. In the 1960s, he bought a wooded hillside and, with little more than sketches, determination, and heart, began shaping a dream by hand. Nights, weekends, and years of patient work went into sculpting Storybook Lane, carving figures, building scenes, and turning a quiet forest into a living storybook. The trees were not erased—they were embraced, standing as guardians around castles, cottages, and characters, giving the park its soul.

For generations of families, the Enchanted Forest became a rite of passage. Children walked its winding paths wide-eyed, believing—really believing—that anything was possible. Parents watched their kids disappear into that world of imagination , fairies, and nursery rhymes, and for a moment, they believed again too. That was Roger’s true gift: not just rides or buildings, but the feeling that wonder is real—and that it belongs to everyone.

Roger Tofte’s passing marks the end of a remarkable life, but not the end of his story. His legacy lives in every carved figure, every shaded trail, every childs laugh that echoes through the trees. The Enchanted Forest is more than a destination—it is a promise he kept to children everywhere: that there will always be a place where imagination is protected, just like the forest that protects us.

You can visit the enchanted forest here just south of Salem Oregon.

Address:

Enchanted Forest

8462 Enchanted Way SE

Turner, OR 97392

Contact us:

503-371-4242

He planted more than structures in that forest. He planted memories. He planted joy. And he planted a world where children, surrounded by enchanted trees, could discover the simple, powerful magic of believing. I say well done Roger.

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