Tillamook State Forest

Tillamook State Forest is a state forest on the Northern Oregon Coast.

Understand

History

The Tillamook Burn (a series of fires starting in 1933) burnt down a vast portion of the forest, and it was replanted from the 1940s until the 1970s.

Landscape

Flora and fauna

Climate

Get in

From south of Portland, take OR-217 North toward Beaverton. Highway 217 ends at Highway 26. Merge onto Highway 26 West and continue on that road for the next 16 miles. Highway 26 breaks off into a two way fork. Take the left fork onto OR-6 and continue down that road for the next 50 miles. The park is on your right. Turn into the park and you'll find a bridge. There are recreational areas on both sides of the bridge, the closest being to your immediate right. The campgrounds are over the bridge and up the road about 100 yards.

From the north - take I-5 south to 405-south (which is just north of downtown Portland). Take the exit to 26 West and follow the directions above.

Fees and permits

There are no fees charged for day use.

Get around

See

Do

• Tillamook Forest Center, 45500 Wilson River Highway, ☎ [phone]. An education and information center in the park. 
• Further up the main road coming into the park, there are areas to use off-road vehicles. Many of the hills surrounding the park have trails that can be used by people on dirtbikes and mountain bikes. Precautions should be taken when using these trails and speeds should be decreased when necessary. Have fun, the trails and designated areas were built for your enjoyment.
• Jones Creek resides in Tillamook Forest, 23 miles east of Tillamook. Highway 6 runs directly by the park. There is also a large day-use area right next to Wilson River. Jones Vreek flows into the Wilson, and there are several paths to hike on that skirt the water's edge.

Buy

• Diamond Mill, about 22 miles up the Wilson River(hwy. 6) (22 miles east of tillamook). dawn to dusk. There are many trails up here. Smith Homestead is before the bridge that takes you into the Diamond Mill day use and camping area there are very short trails at Smith Homestead but they are beautiful. Across the bridge at Diamond Mill there are trails that take you to the interpretative center which is a very cool place to visit the kids will love this place it a very short walk from Diamond Mill. There are trails that take you to the Wilson Falls which is 1.7 miles from the interpretative center it's a nice hike. You can also hike to Footbridge which is 3.2 miles from the interpretative center. These trails are a lot of fun they take you right along the edge of the beautiful Wilson river. free. 

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Lodging

Camping

• Jones Creek campground. 29 large vehicle sites and 9 walk-in sites. There is a community parking area for anyone camping in the walk-in sites. The vehicle sites cost $10 per night and the walk-in sites cost $5 per night. An extra car costs an additional $3 per night, and firewood is available for $5 per bundle. There are no reservations, thus it is first come-first served. The campground is open from May 25th through October 2nd every year. The entire campground is self-sufficient, meaning no power or phones. There aren't any showers nearby either. There is a payphone and a county store several miles down the road. 

Backcountry

Stay safe

There is a bridge that crosses over the Wilson River as you enter the park. Many people jump off the bridge into the river below. The River is about 15-20 feet below and the water is not clear enough to see through. Therefore, you can never be sure that there isn't something under the surface of the river where you jump. Take extreme caution and jump at your own risk! Just in case, it is good to have someone with you.

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