Best 3 rock climbing gyms in Chicago
Rock climbing gyms in Chicago may not be number one every climber’s bucket list but that is not to say that you cannot get your climb on at one of the city’s awesome climbing gyms. Known for it’s breathtaking architecture and a melting pot of culture and arts, one can find just about anything in Chicago except mountains. With a relatively flat natural landscape, and the famous Devil’s Lake State Park 3 hours away, we climbers are forced to scratch our climbing itch indoors (unless you are into buildering which is a whole different topic).
There are some pretty amazing rock climbing gyms scattered throughout and around the city, each having their own advantages and disadvantages. So let’s check them out. Here’s the beta for picking out the best for your needs.
Brooklyn Boulders Chicago Gym
Gym Location: 100 S Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60607 – West Loop
The Rock Climbing Gym: Brooklyn Boulders Chicago builds and operates active lifestyles facilities that foster community through rock climbing, fitness, arts + culture, active co-working, and events.
What I Love: You can’t beat the location. It’s just west of Chicago’s main downtown area in a beautiful neighborhood. The gym itself is quite an awesome place to climb. It has a more trendy, urban vibe to it with local murals inside. It is the cleanest and in my opinion the nicest looking on the list. Not only does it have lead climbing, top-roping, auto belay, and bouldering walls, it also has a meeting/ collaborative workspace and relaxing, an awesome gym and a great staff. So yeah it basically has everything. If you are looking for that Chicago feeling.
Disadvantages: This is the priciest of the 3 across the board. 10 pass expired after 3 months. Not that big of a deal but I wasn’t living in the city at the time so I basically had to come at least once a weekend before they expired. Since the walls are made from wood (super slick), you’ll have to work pretty hard if you want to get your smear on. They do have limited auto belays so grab a partner or enjoy the bouldering parts.
Amenities
- 25,000 Square Foot Facility
- Walls up to 54 feet
- Bouldering, Auto-Belay, Top-Roping, and Lead Climbing
- Climbing and Group Exercise Classes
- Youth Programs + Birthday Parties
- Collaborative Workspace + Free WiFi
- Exercise & Training Equipment
- Locker Rooms + Showers
- Pop-Up + Event Spaces
- Yoga
- Moonboard
Pricing
Day Pass: $25
Gear: $11 Shoes, Harness and Chalk Bag, Free Yoga Mats & Towels
10 Pass: $225
Monthly Membership: $125 with $100 Activation Fee
Year Membership: $1250
First Ascent Chicago Gyms
Gym Locations: Avondale, Block 37, Uptown, Humboldt Park, Peoria, Arlington Heights (Coming Soon)
The Rock Climbing Gym: First Ascent Climbing & Fitness is built by climbers, for climbers. They consist of five world-class climbing gyms: four dispersed throughout some of Chicago best neighborhoods and one in the suburb of Peoria. First Ascent features world-class rock climbing terrain, a full schedule of yoga classes, and state-of-the-art fitness equipment. A membership to one facility gives you access to them all.
What I Love: One pass access to all their gyms. I mean you can not beat that. That also works for day passes too. You can lead climb the highest walls in the city at First Ascent in Avondale and then cruise over to boulder in Humboldt Park as you end your session. Which leads to my other favorite point. They are all around and in some of Chicago’s best neighborhoods! Location. Location. Location. Their downtown gym, Block 37, is in the heart of it all overlooking the Daley Center. They also do a very good job at setting fresh sets, but just in case you need something new to get on, just head over to one of their other gyms.
Disadvantages: This is probably the softest rated of the bunch. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but just worth noting. The only Chicago gym that offers Top-Rope, Lead or Auto Belay is their Avondale gym. Peoria has those amenities as well but it’s quite a hike, 2.5 hours south of the city.
Amenities
- 1 pass access to all locations
- Bouldering at all locations
- Auto-Belays, Top-Roping, and Lead Climbing at Avondale & Peoria only
- Climbing Classes
- Youth Programs + Birthday Parties
- Exercise & Training Equipment
- Yoga
- Collaborative Workspace + Free WiFi
- Locker Rooms + Showers
- Moonboard
Pricing
Day Pass: $23 Regular & $19 for Students
Gear: $7 Shoes and Chalk Bag
10 Pass: $198 Regular & $162 for Students
Monthly Membership: $79 with $79 Enrollment Fee
Year Membership: $869 Regular & $769 for Students
Vertical Endeavors Chicago Gym
Gym Address: 246 Windy Point Dr, Glendale Heights, IL 60139 – West Suburbs
The Rock Climbing Gym: Vertical Endeavors operates some of the largest indoor climbing facilities in the nation. They have routes are dedicated to all skill levels from beginners to advanced climbers and offer fun opportunities available for both youth and adults to become better climbers, meet new friends, and host group outings.
What I Love: This is the biggest of the bunch and like Brooklyn Boulders and First Ascent Avondale, it offers lead climbing, top-roping, auto belays and bouldering. But they put that hefty square footage to use with 30 auto belays and 3 bouldering areas. Since I mentioned that First Ascent was the softest, this is graded the hardest but like I said this is neither good nor bad just worth noting but what I really appreciate about this is that it pushes you to work harder and get better. Being the largest, it is a prime location for birthday parties, outings and getting together with friends to climb.
Disadvantages: It’s far… well not that far, just about 30 minutes west of Chicago. That being said, a car or some sort of vehicular transportation is crucial to getting to this gym. It also has the shortest of the walls, so if you are looking to get up high you might want to head back to Chicago. Out of the 3, this one lacks an identity the most. It does not offer yoga, and has a subpar if that in terms of collaborative workspaces and work out equipment.
Amenities
- 45,000 Square Foot Facility
- Walls up to 30 feet
- 3 Bouldering Areas
- 30 Auto-Belays, Top-Roping, and Lead Climbing
- Climbing Classes
- Youth Programs + Birthday Parties
- Exercise & Training Equipment
- Free WiFi
- Locker Rooms + Showers
Pricing
Day Pass: $20
Gear: $12 Shoes, Harness, Belay Device and Chalk Bag
10 Pass: $160
Monthly Membership: $74
Year Membership: $750
food for thought
At the end of the day, discovering your favorite rock climbing gym in Chicago is ultimately a personal preference. I have visited all of these gyms personally multiple times and can vouch for each one. They each have their own culture and personality to them while offering different styles of climbing. Most importantly the rock climbing community is by far the most welcoming and positive group of people I have ever met. You can not go wrong there.
Leave a comment below with your favorite rock climbing gym in Chicago or any that I have missed!
rock climbing gyms in Chicago
Honorable Mentions
North Wall Rock Climbing Gym
Gym Location: Crystal Lake, IL – 1 hour Northwest
maggie daley park Climbing Wall
Wall Location: Chicago, IL – The Loop
