Heading from Portland to the Coast? Don’t miss a stop at the Tillamook Forest Center. About 50 miles west of Portland and 20 miles east of Tillamook Creamery, directly on Highway 6, the center offers a variety of opportunities to learn more about the natural and cultural history of Oregon’s Coast Range. Visiting is free, with a suggested $5 donation.
Dedicated to telling the story of the Tillamook State Forest, the center encapsulates a range of interactive, engaging activities to educate and entertain visitors of all ages, bringing to life historic events like the Tillamook Burn that scorched 355,000 acres of forest from 1933 to 1951, and the monumental restoration effort that followed it. Here’s how to make the most of your visit to the Tillamook Forest Center, whether you just need a leg stretch or have half a day to spend.
15 Minutes: See a Stream From Underneath and Dress Like a Firefighter
Short on time? Check out some of the family-friendly multisensory exhibits the center has to offer. They’re arranged in chronological order, beginning with the pre-colonization period with displays of tools used by Indigenous people in the area and ending with a look into the future of the forest. Along the way, you can get in touch with your inner fish in a stream-viewing tunnel, or try your hand at forest management using a computer simulation.
The 15-minute “Legacy of Fire” film also runs regularly for those who prefer a sit-down experience. The film includes footage from the Tillamook Burn and tells the story of the fires and the restoration effort that followed. Seventy-two million seedlings were planted by hand following the burn, many by volunteers, and a billion Douglas fir seeds were dropped by helicopter.
Don’t leave without stopping at the wildland firefighter dress-up exhibit, a visitor favorite for all ages. Once you’re clad in bright-yellow jackets and hardhats, strike a pose and snap a photo to document your visit.
An Hour or Two: Climb a Fire Tower and Look for Animal Signs
If you can linger longer, step outside the exhibit hall and see what the center’s grounds have to offer. You might be able to join an interpretive program for a guided look at the forest. Topics vary from the plants, animals and fungi that call the forest home to the human experience of living in and managing the forest. Most programming is free to the public with no advanced registration required. If you want to plan in advance, check out the center’s events calendar before you head out. If no talks are scheduled during your visit, stop by a “conversation station” to ask the on-hand interpreter any questions you might have about the forest.
Feeling adventurous? Head for the 40-foot-tall, fully functional replica fire tower right on-site. Climb 72 steps up for a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding forest, and imagine what it would have been like to live and work as a fire lookout.
Finally, stop for a picnic lunch on the 250-foot-long suspension bridge that spans the Wilson River. Watch for fish in the waters below, or see if you can spot an American dipper, an unusual aquatic bird species that resides under the bridge. You might see them flitting from rock to rock before diving for a meal on the river bottom.
Several Hours: Take a Hike
If you have a few hours, why not enjoy a Tillamook State Forest hike? Two accessible trails — River View Trail and Lookout Loop — can be combined for a 0.6-mile double loop through a middle-aged Douglas fir forest. Interpretive signs mark the route with information about the forest and its many residents, including bald eagles, coyotes, black bears and beavers. Look for animal signs and scat as you walk. In spring pink fawn lilies and western trillium are among the many wildflowers that adorn the trail.
For more miles, cross the Wilson River Bridge and follow a section of the Wilson River Trail, a 20.6-mile forested trail that runs in both directions from the center. Enjoy the bigleaf maple and red alder that line the river and creeks, along with a mix of Douglas-fir and western hemlock typical of the coastal forest. Then cool off at the end of your hike by dipping your toes into the Wilson River before you hit the road.
If you’re visiting the Tillamook Forest Center this summer, be sure to catch the Roots temporary exhibit highlighting leaders of color in Oregon outdoor recreation. The exhibit is a collaboration between the Oregon Department of Forestry, State Forests Trust of Oregon and artist Chad Brown, and is open from June 15 to September 15, 2024.
