Roger Tofte, the creator of Enchanted Forest, has died, according to a family announcement shared by the park on social media. The post said Tofte died peacefully on Feb. 13, 2026, with family by his side, and noted he is survived by children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
For generations of Oregonians, Enchanted Forest has been more than a roadside attraction off Interstate 5. It has been a family tradition: a place where fairy tales sit in the trees, storybook characters peek out from the hillside, and parents bring their kids back to the same paths they walked as children.
Tofte’s vision for the park took shape in the mid-1960s, when he and his wife, Mavis, bought roughly 20 wooded acres on a hillside south of Salem. What followed was years of hands-on building. Tofte sculpted figures and scenes inspired by classic stories and nursery rhymes, creating what became Storybook Lane and the park’s signature walk-through experience. Much of the work was done by hand, and the park’s “made-by-a-person, not a corporation” feel became part of its identity.
Enchanted Forest opened to the public on Aug. 8, 1971. Early attendance numbers have become part of the park’s lore: about 75 visitors on opening day, followed by roughly 1,000 the next Sunday as word spread. Over time, the park expanded beyond its original walk-through attractions into additional themed areas and rides, while keeping its home-built style intact.
The park has remained family owned and operated, with multiple generations of the Tofte family working on-site and carrying forward the founder’s approach: keep improving, keep building, and keep it whimsical. In recent years, the park’s own “about” and history materials have highlighted that family continuity as a defining feature of Enchanted Forest’s story.
Tofte’s death marks the end of an era for one of Oregon’s best-known locally built attractions, but the family’s message emphasized continuity: the park, the craft, and the spirit of the place will continue.
