Fun in the trees, four hours away

By Jennifer Margulis
Tidings Correspondent

James Nicholoff of Yakima, Wash., makes the long drive to the Enchanted Forest Theme Park with his two children, 7-year-old Candice and 4-year-old Joshua, as often as possible. His favorite part of the park is the Haunted House. “It’s a good one,” he says, “they put a lot of thought into it.”

The English Tudor Village at the Enchanted Forest Theme Park is one of the many attractions available for visitors. Photos by Jennifer Margulis | For the Tidings

While we talk, Nicholoff’s kids squeal with laughter as they slide on green mats down a triple-humped, 60-foot-long slide that begins out of a little shoe-shaped house (it’s the Old Lady’s, of course — the one who had so many children). This week, the Nicholoffs took the scenic route and stopped in Newport to see the Oregon Coast Aquarium before coming here. Even though it’s drizzling, Nicholoff and his children are having a blast.

So are we.

As soon as we walked through the Tudor-style entrance into the Enchanted Forest, my 4- and 5-year-old daughters’ eyes went round with wonder. In the midst of lush forest we found Humpty Dumpty wearing a cocked red top hat and blue britches, Little Miss Muffet, and Hansel and Gretel. The girls ran inside the cruelly gaping mouth of Snow White’s stepmother to marvel at the dwarves excavating glittery gems and Snow White poised to bite the poisoned apple.

All of these intricately carved cement installations are the work of one man: Roger Vaslev, the park’s owner. Vaslev worked as an engineering technician for the state before turning his attention full time to the theme park. A watercolor artist and the father of four, Vaslev bought the park’s first 20 acres seven years before it opened in 1971. “I felt I could put something together here,” says 75-year-old Vaslev, a soft-spoken man who rides around the park on a motor scooter. In the meantime, Vaslev fixed the watches of state employees to help finance his vision.

“I try to put as much artistic feeling into this place,” says Vaslev, whose new project is a super-high-tech indoor four-minute ride opening next year, “The Challenge of Mondor,” where kids sit in a car and shoot monsters and dragons as they pass through treasure rooms and dragon dens.

Unlike more commercial amusement parks, the Enchanted Forest has many age-appropriate rides for younger kids: A frog hopper, a small ferris wheel, bumper boats that even my 18-month-old could steer himself, and bumper cars.

Families enjoy one of the many rides for adults and children at the Enchanted Forest.

There’s also a charming yellow roller coaster with lots of twists and turns but no huge drops called the Bobsled, and a log flume, which boasts the largest fall — 40 feet — in the Pacific Northwest. Don’t ride it if you don’t want to get wet. Popular with teenagers, the Haunted House is in a dilapidated white house with blackened windows and is definitely not for the faint of heart. Expect the unexpected when you walk through and remember that no matter how loud you scream no one will hear you. It’s totally creepy.

Nancy Sanders, visiting from Portland with her 5-year-old, 3-year-old, and her mom, says the park hasn’t changed since she was a kid. “My children like the rides and the nursery rhyme stories and the slides,” she said.

The Enchanted Forest is definitely a family affair. “It’s rewarding to see the families come through and have a good time,” says Vaslev, who has three (of four) and two (of eight) grandchildren who work full time at Enchanted Forest. “It’s just a work of love, I guess.”

The Enchanted Forest Theme Park is located in Salem, about four hours from Ashland. It’s open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily May 1 through Labor Day. Admission is $8.50 adults, $7.50 kids 3 to 12, and free for ages 2 and under. For more information, call (503) 360-3060 or visit www.enchantedforest.com.