The beautiful Tillamook State Forest rolls right down to the city limits of Garibaldi. Covering more than 350,000 acres of mountainous terrain, this is a man-made forest planted after a series of disastrous fires between 1933 and 1951 destroyed nearly every tree on those mountains.

In the years after the fires, foresters, professional tree planters and volunteers worked painstakingly to reestablish the forest. Oregon voters passed a constitutional amendment in 1948 authorizing $12 million in bonds to rehabilitate the land. The long reforestation project, the largest ever undertaken, began in 1949. In total, 72 million seedlings were planted and today, the forest is back.

Tillamook State Forest facilities include picnic areas, campgrounds, trail heads and river access points. OHV enthusiasts have over 150 miles of trails to choose from. In addition, there are over 60 miles of non-motorized trails. And on State Route 6, is the Tillamook Forest Center, with indoor exhibits, outdoor trails and family programs covering the early forest, the fires, human interactions, and the forest today.

Most points of access to the forest’s recreation facilities are off either SR 6 or Trask River Road. However, from Garibaldi, you can take Miami-Foley Road to Foss Road and reach the Beaver Slide hand boat launch and Nehalem Falls campgrounds, both of which are managed as part of the park.

For more information, see Oregon Department of Forestry’s Recreation page.