Silver Falls: Old-Growth Tree Climbing Adventure Oregon

4.93

(108 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Ever wondered what it feels like to hang in the air, eye-to-eye with a raven? I didn’t think much about old-growth tree climbing until we pulled up to Silver Falls State Park that morning. The trees looked impossibly tall — almost cartoonish — and the air was cool, sharp with that earthy-green smell you only get in deep Oregon forests. Our guide, Mike, had this easy laugh and handed out harnesses like he’d done it a thousand times (he probably has). I fumbled with my gloves at first. My partner teased me about my “climbing face.”

The first hour was mostly learning—on a smaller tree, thank god. Mike showed us how to work the ropes and not panic if our feet left the ground (I pretended I wasn’t nervous). The gear felt solid, which helped. There were kids in our group too, some as young as seven, and they seemed braver than me. We practiced until my arms started to feel it, but then came the real thing: hiking over pine needles to these giants rising 200 or 300 feet overhead. That’s when it hit me—this wasn’t just a day trip; it was something most people never try.

Climbing up felt slow at first—my legs shaking a bit—but then there was this moment where everything went quiet except for wind moving through the canopy. You could hear birds somewhere above or maybe below? Sunlight came in patches through mossy branches. Mike pointed out little things growing on the bark that have been there longer than I’ve been alive. At one point I looked down (not recommended) and saw how small everyone looked, just dots on the forest floor. Honestly, I still think about that view.