Fifty years of enchantment

Experience fairy-tale wonders and exciting challenges in a majestic forest

The Enchanted Forest has inspired wonder for decades. — Tanya Laing Gahr photo

Started in 1960 by Doris and Ernest Needham, The Enchanted Forest has been charming families for 50 years.

Nestled in a lush inland rainforest, the attraction features lovely fairy-tale figurines, fanciful cottages, treehouses and other wonders.

Visitors can go on self-guided interpretive nature walks or challenge themselves at the adjacent Sky Trek Adventure Park.

Over the years, the Needhams built their vision as a retirement project. 

The couple eventually sold The Enchanted Forest to Rocky and Juliet Ehlers, who now embrace it as a labour of love—one that has attracted millions of visitors. 

Rocky Ehlers has found that it requires creativity to run such a popular attraction and still have a balanced life with time and attention paid to family too—meeting that challenge is ultimately worth it, he said.

“Looking back over 20 years of ownership of The Enchanted Forest, our greatest satisfaction is meeting the needs of what is now 70,000 people a year,” said Ehlers. “People now come back year after year to see bedrock Canada—forest, water and weather. This creates happiness, which is nice to sell.”