Agreed. The only way to make Dark Forest better would be Rita being demolished.
You’d have the entrance where it currently is. With Rita and its garage gone, you could place a dark ride next to Thirteens lift utilising that space (perhaps a Danse Macabre style). Where the current food outlets are, I’d use for a station and maintence facilities for a newer Mack/intamin multi launch. Family though. Very terrain hugging through the bottom half of the current dark forest. With the main plaza now sited a little further to the right, you’d have plently of space for another flat ride and you’d still have two coasters in the area.
I’d make dark forest a lighter theme. Not whimsical but maybe based on what happened after the Earls experiments on the branch. The forest is already taking over so just re jig the theme and tie it into Hex. It’s the perfect transition as you walk from Hex into DF. Some enchanted/magical forest type deal.