This was an absolutely incredible experience. I spent the weekend with my 11 year old son in Silver Falls state park and he had his heart set on doing this. The guide immediately made us feel very safe and by the time we got through our practice climb I felt oddly comfortable about climbing a 200 ft tree! Our guide was so patient with my son and made sure he was safe and supported the whole way up and down. This was physically challenging for both of us and he never made us feel we needed to speed up. We had an incredible sense of accomplishment when we reached the top and a beautiful once in a lifetime view to go with it. And experience we’ll never forget!
Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt review! We’re so glad that you and your son had an incredible time at Silver Falls State Park. It’s great to hear that the guide made you feel safe and supported, especially during such a thrilling climb! Reaching the top of a 200 ft tree is no small feat, and we’re thrilled that you both felt a real sense of accomplishment. That view is truly something special, and we’re honored that this experience became a memorable one for you and your son. We hope to see you again for more adventures in the future!
We had a blast at our private climbing experience at Silver Falls. It's a gift that Silver Falls State Park allows this outfit to climb a couple of the ancient trees. They are very respectful of the trees and not harming them while giving us an appreciation of their grandeur and importance in our ecosystem. Meghan, our guide, was extremely thoughtful, careful, and enjoyable. Can't rate this highly enough!
hank you so much for sharing your experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a wonderful time during your private climbing adventure at Silver Falls. It's truly a privilege to be able to offer climbs in these ancient trees, and we take great care to ensure the trees are respected and protected while giving guests like you the chance to connect with their beauty and significance.
We're so glad Meghan made your experience even more special—she truly is a gem! Your kind words mean the world to us, and we’re grateful you left with a deeper appreciation for these majestic trees and their role in our ecosystem.
Hope to see you all back another time!
We had and are continuing to have an extraordinarily poor experience with Tree Climbing at Silver Falls. Like the most recent review below, we were also given broken equipment with holes and rips in the backpack.
My backpack in particular had the metal frame poking through the bottom, which dug into my backside every time I took a step and left me bruised.
I pointed this out to the guide, who hesitantly offered to switch backpacks with me but made it seem like it would be a huge inconvenience.
We had purchased the use of both a portaledge and a battery ascender but were strongly discouraged from using either by our guides, who seemed more concerned with their own comfort than our experience. (They repeatedly stressed what a hassle it is to use the portaledge, which I interpreted as them not wanting to bother with having to set it up. They also openly complained in front of us about how heavy the battery ascender is to carry.)
When we began using the battery ascender, it became clear to me why they didn't want to use it. The red casing on the start knob kept falling off, causing it to shut off mid-use. The guide assured me it was the first time this had happened, but it did not make me feel safe or secure to be using a damaged battery ascender.
Like the other negative review below, we were also surprised by the cavalier attitudes our guides had. One seemed inexperienced and repeatedly had to ask the other for pointers about how to fit the harnesses. Both my husband and I were changed in and out of multiple harnesses and attachments of varying lengths. I thought I found one that was comfortable to me, but my husband never felt secure in his harness. Every time he would lift himself up, he would fall backward because the anchor attachment was too long.
The harness I ended up with was not a good fit after all because I completely lost feeling in my lower extremities within minutes of beginning to ascend. And I want to be clear: this was NOT just a bit of numbness like when you sit on a toilet for too long and your legs fall asleep. I had NO feeling in my legs or feet within 10-15 minutes of beginning to ascend.
I expressed concern to the guide about this, considering we had just gotten started. She advised me to ascend to the next branch and stand on it to get some blood flow back to my legs.
Once I reached the branch (after stopping twice to restart the battery ascender, because of the aforementioned damage) I was alarmed to realize that I could not move my foot. I tried to step on the branch but could not control anything below my thighs due to the prolonged lack of blood flow. And we were hardly even 1/10th of the way up the tree; we still had at least an hour and a half left to go.
I immediately called down to the guide and said I did not feel safe and would be descending. When I reached the ground, my ankles and knees buckled beneath me. I eventually regained feeling in my legs, but the tingly numbness in my feet continued well into the following day, and I had persistent tingling in my toes until nearly 72 hours after the climb.
I have had extensive communication with Leo, the owner, who at first offered to refund a partial amount but claimed that his "system" would not allow him to refund the portaledge. This partial amount included the use of the (broken) battery ascender and the (out of focus, taken on a cell phone) photography, which he repeatedly described as a “kind” and “generous” offer. In my mind, refunding payment for broken equipment and poorly-shot, blurry cell phone pics is not especially notable.
He eventually conceded that he could, after all, refund the portaledge (that they never set up) but he demanded that I explicitly state that this was an acceptable compromise.
I pointed out that we did not complete the climb, we did not use the portaledge, we were provided with broken equipment and subpar photography, and we did not eat any meals, as well as now having to deal with the owner's combative behavior. I declined to accept his partial refund amount.
I have referred this matter to my bank for resolution.
This is the most dishonest review I have ever read.
Tree Climbing at Silver Falls, website makes clear that tree-climbing and camping requires physical activities that, while helped by mechanical ascenders and other aides, cannot be accomplished by everyone, especially those who are physically infirm or substantially out of shape. The reviewer was one of those who could not manage the climb to her level of satisfaction. The client was unable to reach the set-up portaledge equipment; there was no broken equipment; a new backpack was offered; and the photography was limited by her early termination of her attempt. The refund she declined was in accordance with our refund policy, and would have left unpaid most of our company’s out-of-pocket expenses.
Make this trip your Bucket Trip! It was a 10+ for us. Timmy was our guide and he was great. We felt completely safe in his hands. They started us out practice climbing on the practice tree. Then we hiked to the Mother Tree, a 250ft Old Growth Doug Fir. Since we are in our 70’s our climbing strength wasn’t the same as it was when we were in our 30’s so we used their electric ascender/descenders. That was wonderful. We went up to the top of the ropes, about 220ft! Hung out there. Took amazing videos. Chatted. Do this adventure. You will never forget it!! They do Sunset trips where you get to spend the night 200+ft up in a canopy or a platform bed. I don’t know of any other place you can have these adventures. Right out of the book, “The Tall Trees.”
We’re thrilled to hear that this adventure was a 10+ for you! 😊 Timmy is indeed an amazing guide, and we’re so glad you felt completely safe and enjoyed using the electric ascender/descenders—it sounds like you had an unforgettable time up in the Mother Tree! 🌲 Your kind words and recommendation mean the world to us, and we hope you come back for that sunset trip or tree camping next time. It would be great to share another adventure adventure with you! 🌅✨🌳
Megan was a great guide and make sure everyone was ready with adequate practice before we headed up the big tree. Her knowledge of the trees and forest made the experience even better. You can go as slow or fast as you want. I took my time and stayed at the top for awhile and took my time coming down and we still finished within the allotted time frame.
Come back for a sunset climb or tree camping! We're so happy to hear that you had such a great experience with Megan as your guide. Her knowledge of the trees and forest really does add something special, doesn’t it? 🌳 It's awesome that you were able to go at your own pace and truly enjoy the climb and the views from the top. We’re glad everything worked out perfectly within the time frame. We’d love to have you back for another adventure soon! 😊✨
