Enchanted Forest (Turner Oregon) 6-22

Last saturday my sister and I decided to take a trip to one of the few amusment parks in the northwest. I've lived in Portland Oregon for 6 years and I have only been to enchanted forest one other time and not since their new log ride debuted in 1995.

We woke up late and drove to Enchanted Forest from Portland which took about an hour. We were joking around about Enchanted Forests commercials and website which still advertise the Big Timber Log Ride as their newest attraction which opened in 1995. We arrived at the park where parking is free and admission is $6.95 to go in. Then you have to buy tickets to ride the three actual rides in the park. Ticket are $.65 and we needed 20 tickets to ride everything once. Including our entry fee is was a total of $26.

The park is very small and one area is themed around childrens fairy tales such as humpy dumpty and the crooked man and his house. Basically you walk around a trail that winds up a hill and you can peek in many scenes which are apart of each fairy tale. I thought it was very lame but the little kids were having fun. The sets could use a paint job as well as some new light fixtures as it was very dark in some of the walk in scenes. This took about 15 minutes to go through all the scenes and the last scene has a slide going out of the old woman in the shoe fairy tale.

After we were done with that we went into the western town which looks nice. The buildings are themed OK and we went to our first major attraction which was the haunted house. It take three tickets to enter an old house which look haunted from the outside. There are no cars to ride in so you walk through different scenes in the house. This house is pretty large and you seem to walk through most of it. However, it pretty boring and uneventful. It seemed that the props were mostly broken or had little to no scare effect. The park couyld make it good if they fixed the props and put real people in it to scare you. We left the house dissapointed becuase I thought the house was much scarier last time I went through it.

Our next attraction was the Big Timber Log Ride. This is the newest attraction, built in 1995 and cost 2 million dollars. I think the ride was one of the first to incorporate a roller coaster drop in it. It takes 4 tickets and you board regular logs but with wheels on them. You leave the station and take a left turn on to the lift. The lift is barely off the ground becuase it follows the hillside. At the top you take a right turn and enter a water canal and go through a few scenes of a log mill and then take a turnaround in to the first flume drop. It is a very small drop that doesn't get you wet. Then you engage another small lift take a turn to the left a encounter the coaster drop. The drop is smooth ans is the best part of the ride with drop being about 30 feet or so. You drop into some misters which also make is more fun. Then you head back up and turn to the right where the largest drop is. It is a 40 foot flume drop which gets you wet but not soaked. Overall I was impresed with this ride and I thought it was one of the better log rides I had ridden.

The last attraction is the Ice Mountain Bobsleds, which is an old bobsled ride through a fake mountain. You ride in a three car train with enclosed cars which can seat 2 adults. The line moves slow becuase only 6 people ride each time, but they were running two trains. The cars have no restraints other then the plastic top which covers you. The ride is OK, and better then I thought it was going to be. There are two lifts and you run through 2000 feet of track. The course takes you through some tight tunnels where if the train wasn't enclosed you it would take your hands off if they were up. It was a lot smoother then I expected, though some of the transitions were a bit jerky.

This concluded our day at Enchanted Forest which was better then we expected. It was clean, the employees were nice, and it was cheap. The park would be much better if the re-painted some of the fairy tales scenes and the ice mountain. Also a nice terrain CCI through the woods would also be appreciated. I was surprised how busy the park was even though it was a saturday. Hopefully they will add any new attraction becusae we completed the park in about an hour and 15 minutes, and we were not rushing. Thanks for reading.

Is this more than a park? Thanks for TR it is appreachated!

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See THE ULTIMATE in Orlando TR'S! Right now in the TR fourm!

$26.00=3 ride lol. Nice TR!

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-Sean Newman
84 coasters in Track Record!! Hypersonic XLC # 100 in July. Waiting for the 305 foot drop tower in 2003. Thank you PKD.

First off, that's 6 rides for $26.00, as the price was for two people. Still steep if it was "just" an amusement park, but EF is a true theme park. Not on the grand scale of Disney, but I was most impressed with the theming I found.
If I were 15, I'd probably think the first part was lame as well. But being 20 yrs older than that, I was taken by the charm of this park, of which there is a lot of, IMHO. You ran through so quickly, you didn't get to experience the park. True, you saw the whole park, but you make no mention of the many other cool attractions that are free as part of the park.
They are not "rides", but the Indian Caves are a lot of fun. You walk and crawl through tight tunnels and passageways, and it's not easy(not overly hard, either) to find your way out. The dwarf mines is another free walk through attraction that is a neat little diversion.
The Castle that is the start of the fairy tale area is extremely humorous, with little signs posted on the wall that poke gentle fun at a variety of fairy tales. One example is "All the king's horses and all the king's men invite the town to an omellete breakfast this Sunday morning". OK, to some that's a groaner, but I found it playfull and amusing. It takes quite some time to read them all, and the more you know your fairy tales, popular and obscure, the more fun reading these are.
And there is also a small, yet confusing, maze to walk through that changes the course every time I visit. I don't know how often it changes, but most panels have hinges on them, making for numerous options. Brief but fun.
In addition to western town, there's the English Village that has a myriad of treats for tots as well as their parents. Pinocchio's Playhouse is fun, and the Fantasy Fountains indoor water show is very well done.You can enjoy food and drink, or just sit and watch this 7 minute display that alternates programs that are very well choreographed to the music. Again, no great shakes, but a pleasant surprise. And there's so much more to this park that I can't even go into. And don't miss the summer theatre presentations; way better than I expected.
Too bad you caught the Haunted House on a "bad" day. It's been voted the best walk through Haunted House in the past for a good reason. The first time I went in there were adults around commenting how they wouldn't go in, because it always make them jump. And it is manned with employees, because we could hear them laughing at us through the walls when we we were caught off gaurd by there antics. For a couple of grown adults, we were surprised numerous times. However the second half of the house did not appear to have any areas that were manned; a bit of a let down after the genuine scares of the first half. Perhaps they were understaffed the day of your visit, or the employees were on break?
I agree that the fairy tale attractions need some touch up, but your assesment of the log ride (2nd only to Logger's Revenge At SFMM) and rollercoster echo mine. That rollercoaster dip before the final drop is most fun on the log ride, and the whole thing is themed impressively. And the Ice Mountain Bobsleds is more fun than it looks, I agree.
To truly appreciate this park, you have to take time, at least a good 5-6 hours, and stroll patiently throughout the park's layout. As I mentioned, there are fun little things strewn out along all the paths, not all are on the map. Watch the live theatre shows; lose your way(intentionally) in the caves. Slide down the shoe, as well as the one in Tofteville (western town); it is longer and faster. Walk through the crooked house(fun!), and enjoy a snack while watching the fountains. In other words, this is a park that slowly reveals it's many charms, and at the end of your visit, you will be satisfied that you got your money's worth.
True, it has no real "thrill rides", and it is most definately aimed for the kids. But there is pleanty to delight kids of all ages, if your open to it. And a lot of the fun is watching the little tykes enjoy the park.
They have a new bumper cars attraction opening in the next few weeks that is not one of their other kiddie rides that the park has to offer(Frog Hopper, kiddie bumper boats, kiddie ferris wheel). And when I spoke to one of the Toftes (The family that started and still owns the park), a new dark ride, largely underground, is next. But as with all things in the park, it will have about a 5 yr gestation. I was told it will be kind of like a mad mouse, yet with slower sections to enjoy the scenes, and then speed up again, and slow down again, etc. I can't wait...