Oregon Forest Hides Giant Smiley Face Visible Only in Fall

A green forest hillside in Oregon looks unremarkable for most of the year, but when autumn arrives, the slope transforms into a 300-foot-wide grinning face, the result of a decades-old planting scheme by two timber professionals with a sense of humor.

The giant smiley was created by David Hampton, owner of Hampton Lumber Company, together with Dennis Creel, who managed the company's forest lands at the time. Years ago, while replanting a harvested section of hillside, the two decided to turn the slope into an unusual piece of living art that would bring a smile to drivers passing on the highway below.

The design relies on two tree species with different seasonal behavior: Douglas fir, which stays green year-round, and larch, whose needles turn golden yellow in autumn before dropping. The larch trees were planted to form the circular face, while the evergreen Douglas firs create the eyes and smiling mouth.

The 300-foot smiley face on an Oregon hillside, visible only when autumn colors arrive (Photo: Social media)

Creating the enormous face was far from simple. Hampton and Creel went out to the mountainous terrain with measuring rope and marked the boundaries of the circle and the placement of the eyes and mouth. The slope, uneven ground and small streams complicated the work, and they had to adjust the shape so it would appear correct to viewers looking up from the road below.

After planting, the secret remained hidden for several years while the trees grew and the differences between species became visible. When autumn arrived and the larch took on its yellow and gold color, the giant smile suddenly appeared on the hillside.

The creation sits on forested land in Polk County, Oregon, near Highway 18, between the towns of Willamina and Grand Ronde. Drivers passing through the area can spot it, especially in autumn, when the contrast between the yellow and green trees makes the face particularly clear.

According to reports, the smile is expected to remain in the landscape until the trees are old enough to be harvested as part of forest management.