Our 5 Favorite Colorado Springs Rock Climbing Gyms (2024)
Colorado Springs, Colorado is just an hour down the road from Denver, and sits at the base of one of America’s most famous mountains, Pikes Peak. The second largest city in the state, “the Springs” has produced many world renowned climbers, and the local parks include historic outdoor rock climbing areas like Garden of the Gods and North Cheyenne Cañon.
As such, it’s not surprising that the area is host to a number of excellent indoor climbing gyms. While you won’t find the sheer number of climbing gyms in Colorado Springs that you will in Denver, there’s enough variety to meet just about anyone’s needs.
No matter which Colorado Springs climbing gym you choose, you’re sure to have fun and meet new friends and climbing partners! And beginners who want to rock climb will be welcomed at any of these locations. Gym climbers are known for being open to sharing and giving tips to newcomers.
Without further delay, here’s our list of the top 5 rock climbing gyms in the Colorado Springs area.
Comparison Table
| Name | Roped Climbing | Bouldering | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springs Climbing Center | ✔ | ❌ | Bouldering | $$ |
| CityROCK | ✔ | ✔ | Lead Climbing | $$ |
| Gripstone Climbing & Fitness | ✔ | ✔ | Olympic Training | $$$ |
| Pure Bouldering | ❌ | ✔ | Beginners | $$ |
| UCCS Climbing Wall | ✔ | ❌ | Budget | $ |
1. Springs Climbing Center: For Bouldering
Colorado Springs’ first rock gym, recently remodeled and improved, the Springs Climbing Center (SCC) (1) has the biggest variety of bouldering problems in the city. This gym was co-founded by local climber and guidebook author Ric Geiman in 1992, and is currently operated by his son Austin Geiman.
Although the focus of the SCC’s facilities and community is on bouldering, the gym does also have a short top-roping wall with a number of auto-belay devices and about 25 routes. The real attractions, though, are the three separate rooms of expertly set boulder problems.
From slabs to horizontal roofs, V0 to V10+, you’ll find over 200 problems on the Springs Climbing Center walls. For those interested in outdoor bouldering, the SCC gives you a great place to meet a community of like-minded adventurers.
Springs Climbing Center also contains a full climbing training area with a moon board, hangboards and other equipment, and a small workout area with weights and machines.
Pricing
- Day Pass – $18 ($28 with gear rental)
- Annual Membership – $65/month and up
2. CityROCK: Top for Lead Climbing
First opened in 2009, CityROCK (2) was recently renovated and expanded to offer taller routes and more climbing of all varieties in its 20,000+ square feet of climbing terrain.
City Rock offers auto-belays, top ropes, and lead climbing routes on walls up to 43 feet in height. A large bouldering area includes problems up to 14 feet tall. For lead climbers seeking to get stronger, the overhanging lead walls have climbs from mildly to radically steep. Train your power endurance and fight off the pump moving from vertical to horizontal as you approach the final clips!
Another unique feature of the CityROCK gym is an artificial underground cave system with 225 feet of tunnels. If you really don’t like exposure to heights, you may find subterranean exploration more appealing!
If you want to cross train or do more advanced climbing training, the gym has a full fitness and cardio training area, plus moon boards, hangboards, campus boards and systems walls. Aside from all the climbing and caving, CityROCK has a full calendar of events for members and visitors including daily yoga classes, climbing instruction, and youth lessons.
Pricing
- Day Pass – $20 ($31 with gear rental)
- Annual Membership – $72/month and up
3. Gripstone Climbing & Fitness: For Olympic Training
Colorado Springs’ newest full-service climbing facility, Gripstone Climbing (3) opened in 2019 in a brand-new 21,000-square-foot building with 50-foot tall walls. Gripstone has routes and problems for all levels of climber, with about 90 sport climbing routes and 75 boulder problems in an expansive space.
Good to note: Gripstone Climbing offers the only publicly available speed climbing wall, built to the standards of international competition, in the state of Colorado. That means if you want to check your time against World Cup and Olympic speed climbing results, this is the place.
But Gripstone isn’t focused on competition climbing by any means. It’s a modern, family-friendly facility with full fitness and workout areas to go along with the large lead and top-roping walls and extensive bouldering area.
Gripstone Climbing & Fitness also offers climbing classes from beginner to advanced, yoga sessions, and youth programs to round out its programming.
Pricing
- Day Pass – $23 ($32 with gear rental)
- Annual Membership – $89/month and up
4. Pure Bouldering Gym: Our Pick for Beginners
Pure Bouldering Gym (4) is just what the title implies, a gym that offers only the purity of unroped climbing. Small but mighty, Pure has a strong core community of climbers and offers the option of 24-hour access to members.
Now, we haven’t named Pure as best for beginners because of a lack of difficult terrain. Indeed, even strong climbers will find plenty of challenges at Pure.
However, a couple unique features make Pure Bouldering Gym a good place for a beginner. First, you can find great deals on new and used climbing gear at the attached shop, Gearonimo. This can ease the intimidation factor for those who don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on shoes and equipment before they even know whether they like climbing.
Second, the cozy environment is a welcoming place to learn new skills without the distractions of a loud, crowded gym with hundreds of people around. And starting your climbing career by bouldering teaches you many important skills, without the worries of learning how to manage ropes and overcoming any fear of heights.
Pricing
- Day Pass – $14 ($17 with shoe rental)
- Annual Membership – $45/month and up
5. UCCS Climbing Wall: For Working Out on a Budget
The University of Colorado – Colorado Springs operates a small climbing wall inside the Student Outdoor Learning Experience (SOLE) center. Located in the Gallogly Recreation and Wellness Center (5), the wall has 6 auto-belays with routes up to 27-feet tall, and 1,000 square feet of climbing area.
Although the climbing opportunities are somewhat limited, the additional fitness options and low prices make this a great deal for those who qualify. Unfortunately, the campus rec center is open only to students, faculty, staff, and others affiliated with the university.
The SOLE program offers classes at the climbing wall for a fee, and also organizes free social events like Ladies Climb Night. Also, beginners can take advantage of an affordable 8-week Learn to Climb series that teaches you indoor and outdoor rock climbing basics.
Pricing
- Day Pass – $5
- Semester-long Membership – $222 and up
And that wraps up our roundup of the best climbing gyms in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Whether you’re a resident or just visiting, any of these gyms will give you a good workout and an easy entry into the world of rock climbing!
References
Springs Climbing Center
http://springsclimbingcenter.com/
CityROCK
https://climbcityrock.com/
Gripstone Climbing
https://gripstonecs.com/
Pure Bouldering Gym
https://pureboulderinggym.com/
Gallogly Recreation and Wellness Center
https://recwellness.uccs.edu/campus-rec