Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Climbing Higher: How Tree Climbing at Silver Falls Found Room to Grow

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When Leo Fisher left law school, he knew he needed a different path. He just didn’t know yet that it would lead hundreds of feet into the canopy of some of Oregon’s largest trees.

From Rock Climbing to the Treetops

Fisher grew up climbing trees and comes from a family with a long history of climbing. When he first started his business more than a decade ago, he focused exclusively on rock climbing. But he quickly recognized an important challenge: it was a crowded market.

“I was trying to find that unique selling point for my business, which was sharing my love and passion about trees and also tree climbing,” Fisher said.

So, about 12 years ago, he tried offering a tree-climbing adventure. And it took off. Today, Fisher owns Tree Climbing at Silver Falls, offering guided climbing adventures in the old-growth forests of Silver Falls State Park. The business has permitted access to guide participants into trees reaching 200–300 feet, and Fisher says his company occupies an unusual niche in the outdoor recreation industry. “I’m still basically the only company in the nation that does like these kind of tree climbing tours,” he said.

Even Experts Have More to Learn

After years of building the business, Fisher joined the Advanced Small Business Management training program at the Portland Community College Small Business Development Center (PCC SBDC) in 2025. For Fisher, being an experienced business owner wasn’t a reason to stop learning. “As a business person or just like as a human, I guess in general, we should always be like striving to learn more in our field,” he said. “Even if we think we’re experts, you know, like the experts should always know, there’s always more to learn.”

The program gave Fisher the opportunity to learn alongside business owners at different stages of their journeys. “I got to hear what people were doing, like what their struggles were, and realizing, like, I’m not the only person that has those same problems and those same struggles,” he said.

Seeing how other entrepreneurs approached those challenges opened new possibilities for his own business. “It gave me insights and opportunities that I wasn’t thinking about that I didn’t know existed.”

Getting Outside His Marketing Comfort Zone

One area where Fisher wanted to grow was digital marketing. Moving away from the physical marketing strategies he was accustomed to wasn’t necessarily comfortable. The Advanced SBM training program helped him explore how to make the transition.

“The change from, you know, doing more physical marketing to more digital marketing was something I was uncomfortable with,” he said. “And like the course allowed me to do that and kind of get ideas of how to do that transition.”

The changes went beyond marketing. Fisher also reports becoming more intentional about financial priorities, pricing and planning. Over the past two years, he has raised prices approximately 50% while maintaining roughly the same revenue, helping put the business on more sustainable financial footing.

Opening the Canopy to More People

However, the impact of Tree Climbing at Silver Falls isn’t measured only in dollars. Tours give people an opportunity to experience an old-growth forest from an entirely different perspective while learning about the unique ecology and wildlife found high in the canopy.

Fisher has also expanded the experience through an adaptive climbing program for people with disabilities, wheelchair users and older adults. Participants have climbed as high as 200 feet, and the program has received national attention, including coverage from The New York Times.

The View That Keeps Him Going

More than a decade after testing that first tree-climbing adventure, Fisher still finds his greatest satisfaction in watching someone else reach the canopy. “When I’m up in the tree, I get the biggest smile and satisfaction seeing other people do this experience like they didn’t even know, like something like this existed or could be done,” he said.

Watching people take in the forest from above—and seeing their reaction to an experience they may never have imagined possible—is what keeps him going. “You know, it’s really rewarding to me and kind of keeps me going, like, okay, I’m doing the right thing.”

His Advice? Jump In.

Fisher’s advice for other entrepreneurs is fitting for someone who built a business around climbing hundreds of feet into the air: sometimes, you have to be willing to go for it. “Jump out there and just get in,” he said. “Like, kind of like you just have to, like, do it and figure things out as you go.”

For Fisher, the PCC SBDC became part of that process. “There’s opportunities to learn so much that you don’t know, that you probably should know.” And after more than a decade in business, he’s still learning, adapting—and climbing higher.

Ready to Ignite Your Entrepreneurial Journey?

Are you ready to embark on your entrepreneurial journey or seeking support to take your small business to new heights? The PCC SBDC is here to help. Reach out to us and let your journey begin. Leo’s story is just one example of the countless success stories our clients have created. Embrace the joy of entrepreneurship and create your unique path to success!

Want to learn more about how the PCC Small Business Development Center can help you start or grow your business?

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