CORAM – When members of the Fisher family set their sights on a new challenge, they aim for the sky.
In that respect, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their newest sky-high business venture involves 29 challenges, including swinging through the treetops and bounding across aerial obstacles on the family’s forested parcel of property near Glacier National Park.
The Glacier Highline Aerial Adventure Park in Coram is set to open June 1, when the public can enjoy a suite of high-flying activities of varying difficulty while suspended approximately 30 feet off the ground.
The elements include bridges, cable walkways, cargo nets, ladders, Tarzan rope swings, and more, with Glacier Park’s mountain-scape serving as a prominent backdrop.
“It’s a fun and challenging experience with a variety of challenges, and we worked really hard so that the course is an actual outdoor experience and not just a manmade park or playground,” co-owner Keshia Fisher said.
Keshia, a Columbia Falls native, and her husband, Chris Fisher, a Coram native, partnered with Chris’ parents to build the aerial adventure park on the family’s property.
Bob and Karen Fisher purchased the land four decades ago, built their family home there and raised three boys, all of them now married and raising families of their own.
For years the family had been in the vacation-rental business, capitalizing on the busy corridor that leads visitors to the west entrance of Glacier Park. But with Bob and Karen approaching retirement, the Fishers began looking for a new business venture, with an eye toward something different while keeping their growing family rooted in Coram.
Indeed, the decision to start an aerial adventure park stemmed from the family’s roots in the area, and its desire to invest in the future of Coram.
“We decided we wanted to do something that not everyone was doing, and we knew there was a need for more activities in the area,” Keshia said.
Equipped with a tenacious streak than runs deep in the family but with little experience in aerial adventure parks, the family hired a consultant from the Seattle-based Aerial Designs and set to work engineering and constructing the course.
After breaking ground last August, the Fishers have been hosting tours for their large circle of family and friends all spring, and will open in earnest to the public June 1.
Along the way, they encountered naysayers who said the project was overly ambitious, but Keshia said her family is defined by rising to the occasion.
“I said, ‘you don’t know our family. We are going to make this happen,’” she said. “Now people come visit and are blown away.”
The aerial adventure park is distinct from Glacier Zipline Adventures located east of Columbia Falls, as well as from Whitefish Mountain Resort’s aerial adventure park, both of which Keshia described as complementary to her family’s new park.
Using a hub-and-spoke design, visitors can begin at the nucleus of the adventure park and work their way through the course at their own pace, and choosing the activities that best fit their skill and comfort level.
She said while the activities challenge users of all levels, it is a family-friendly experience, with room to expand in the future and build as many as 29 additional activities.
All users are outfitted with a special harness and attend a 30-minute training session before challenging themselves by maneuvering from platform to platform in the trees via horizontal and vertical elements.
“We are a family of doers, and it’s been really fun to watch people enjoy something that we have poured our hearts into,” she said.
The family’s property abuts U.S. Highway 2, and the aerial adventure park is located right in Coram, across from the Stonefly Lounge.
Based on the family’s background in vacation rentals, they know how to capitalize on the influx of visitors during the summer busy season, but they’re most excited to become part of the canyon’s increasingly vibrant business community, which includes plenty of whitewater rafting, fly fishing, hiking, and other guided tours.
“This is our home, and we are definitely excited to become a new aspect in the tourism industry in the canyon, but also to add something new to our community,” she said.
Located at 10167 Highway 2 East in Coram, Glacier Highline offers 29 activities. The cost for adults and children 13 years or older is $45 for two hours, not including the training, and $35 for children 9-12.
The aerial adventure park takes walk-ins and reservations. To learn more, check out Glacier Highline online at www.glacierhighline.com, or call (406) 387-5007.