Opening a new climbing gym is not a small undertaking. It takes a labor of love to go through the research, business planning, financing, staffing, design, construction and other essentials required to bring a new gym project to life. Yet those hurdles haven’t discouraged gym developers stateside from taking on the challenge and opening multiple or (in a couple instances) over twenty climbing facilities in communities around the country. This article highlights the climbing gym businesses with the most locations in the United States, based on CBJ’s proprietary dataset.
Each business on this list has a unique story, but one thing they all have in common is that every one started as a single-location facility going through the grind of a first-time gym operator, before bringing the benefits of climbing to more people and places. That rite of passage is a good reminder that, for all the recent growth, the climbing gym industry is still relatively small compared to other industries out there, and even the largest gym businesses in the industry have humble beginnings behind their success and expansion.
Without further ado, below are the gym developers that have grown their small businesses into the largest climbing gym brands in America. In conjunction with this report, be sure to check out the Largest Climbing Gyms, Largest Bouldering Gyms and Tallest Climbing Gyms in America.
9. First Ascent Climbing and Fitness
- Open Gyms: 7
- Region: Midwest
- States: IL, PA
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 3
- Bouldering Gyms: 4
- Self-Built Gyms: 7
First Ascent is part of a three-way tie for the 9th-largest climbing gym developer in the U.S., with seven open gyms between Illinois and Pennsylvania. First Ascent’s first locations opened in the Uptown and Avondale neighborhoods of Chicago in 2015. Since then, First Ascent has steadily opened four more gyms in Illinois and even expanded into Pennsylvania, opening FA Climbing & Fitness Station Square—the Largest New Bouldering Gym of 2022—in the Pittsburgh area two years ago. In total, First Ascent operates four bouldering and three roped gyms across the two states.
9. High Point Climbing & Fitness
- Open Gyms: 7
- Planned Gyms: 1 (FL)
- Region: South
- States: AL, TN
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 5
- Bouldering Gyms: 2
- Self-Built Gyms: 6
- Acquired/Merged Gyms: 1
High Point Climbing, tied in 9th place with seven open gyms, is a Southern climbing gym developer with roped and bouldering facilities scattered throughout Alabama and Tennessee. The first High Point location opened in 2013 in downtown Chattanooga, and the Tennessee-based gym developer has added five more self-built gyms since then—including High Point Mid City, the Second-Largest New Climbing Gym of 2019. In 2015, High Point added a second Chattanooga gym by purchasing Urban Rocks (now High Point Riverside), which originally opened in 2008. This year, High Point is expanding into Florida with its Orlando project, the gym developer’s eighth location. In addition to its climbing gyms, High Point operates a Zip Adventure zipline based on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga.
9. VITAL Climbing Gym
- Open Gyms: 7
- Planned Gyms: 2 (NY, WA)
- Region: Nationwide
- States: CA, NY, WA
- Bouldering Gyms: 7
- Self-Built Gyms: 5
- Acquired/Merged Gyms: 2
Since opening their first facility in 2010 in Carlsbad, California, the VITAL team has expanded their gym business to include seven locations, tied for 9th most in the U.S. VITAL initially focused its development on the West Coast but jumped across the country three years ago, opening VITAL Brooklyn—the Largest New Bouldering Gym of 2021 and one of the Largest Bouldering Gyms in America—and acquiring Steep Rock Bouldering’s two Manhattan gyms later that year. VITAL is well-known for operating bouldering-focused gyms (several with 24/7 access) and has two more on the way—one in Bellingham, Washington, and a project in Manhattan.
8. Climbing Collective
- Open Gyms: 8
- Region: East Coast
- States: NC, NY, PA
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 7
- Bouldering Gyms: 1
- Self-Built Gyms: 6
- Acquired/Merged Gyms: 2
The 8th-largest climbing gym developer in the U.S. is Climbing Collective, an East Coast business with eight facilities across North Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania. The first location, Philadelphia Rock Gym (PRG) Oaks, opened in 1994, followed by four additional PRG gyms around the Philadelphia area, then Hudson Boulders in New York last year. Also in 2023, PRG’s parent company, Climbing Collective—not to be confused with the Climbing Collective in Colorado, which is a separate business—was formed and acquired Inner Peaks’ Matthews and South End gyms in North Carolina, bringing the group’s total gym count to eight.
7. Rock Spot Climbing
- Open Gyms: 9
- Region: New England
- States: CT, MA, RI
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 5
- Bouldering Gyms: 4
- Self-Built Gyms: 8
- Acquired/Merged Gyms: 1
New-England-based Rock Spot Climbing is the 7th largest climbing gym developer in the U.S., with nine open gyms (five roped and four bouldering-focused). The team’s first location opened in Lincoln, Rhode Island, in 1995 and was originally named Rhode Island Rock Gym, before the gym moved to a new facility in 2002 and rebranded to Rock Spot Climbing. Since then, Rock Spot has opened seven other facilities and acquired an early 1990s gym—Prime Climb, in Connecticut—in 2022. Already in 2024, Rock Spot has added two new bouldering gyms to its Northeast footprint—in Brookline, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut.
6. Hangar 18
- Open Gyms: 11
- Region: West Coast
- States: CA
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 7
- Bouldering Gyms: 4
- Self-Built Gyms: 5
- Acquired/Merged Gyms: 6
Hangar 18, in 6th place for the largest climbing gym developer in the U.S., operates 11 gyms in California. The West Coast business opened its first location in 1998—Hangar 18 Upland—and has since expanded throughout Los Angeles through a mix of self-builds and acquisitions. In 2012, Hangar 18 made its first acquisitions, purchasing The Rock Gym (now Hangar 18 Long Beach) and Beach City Rocks (South Bay); the team then purchased TruHold (Mission Viejo) in 2013, Thresh Hold (East Riverside) in 2014, Arcadia Rock Climbing Gym (Arcadia) in 2017, and The Factory Bouldering (Orange) in 2020. Altogether, Hangar 18 operates seven roped and four bouldering gyms in the Los Angeles area.
4. Bouldering Project
- Open Gyms: 12
- Planned Gyms: 1 (WA)
- Region: Nationwide
- States: AZ, DC, MA, MN, NY, TX, UT, WA
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 2
- Bouldering Gyms: 10
- Self-Built Gyms: 8
- Acquired/Merged Gyms: 4
Tied in 4th place for the largest climbing gym developer in the U.S. is Bouldering Project (BP), with 12 gyms nationwide—all but two of which are bouldering-focused. The first BP location opened in the Poplar area of Seattle in 2011. In 2015, BP then opened its first build outside Washington, in Austin, Texas, and expanded into Minneapolis two years later. In 2022, BP took a big leap on this list by acquiring three Brooklyn Boulders gyms in Boston, Brooklyn and Washington D.C., then opened a new gym in Salt Lake City, Utah, later that year. Already in 2024, BP has acquired Oso Climbing Gym in Dallas. Today, BP runs 12 gyms across eight states/districts—including four of the Largest Bouldering Gyms in America—and has a 13th gym in the works, in the University District region of Seattle, the city where it all began.
4. The Gravity Vault
- Open Gyms: 12
- Planned Gyms: 6 (NJ, NY, PA, VA)
- Region: Nationwide
- States: CA, NJ, NY, PA
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 11
- Bouldering Gyms: 1
- Self-Built Gyms: 12
Also in 4th place for the largest climbing gym developer in the U.S. is The Gravity Vault, with 11 roped gyms and one bouldering-focused gym. The Gravity Vault opened its original location in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, in 2005, then added a second location in the state (Chatham) in 2009. In 2014, the team made headlines by opening the first franchised climbing gym in the U.S. and has since started several other franchised locations—including one on the other side of the country, in Marin, California. Currently, The Gravity Vault founder Lucas Kovalcik owns and operates four climbing gyms, while the remaining eight are owned and operated by five franchisees. With six new gyms in the works across four states, The Gravity Vault is set to grow its gym count by 50% and has more planned gyms announced than any other developer on this list.
3. Touchstone Climbing
- Open Gyms: 17
- Planned Gyms: 1 (CA)
- Region: West Coast
- States: CA
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 12
- Bouldering Gyms: 5
- Self-Built Gyms: 17
Touchstone is the 3rd-largest climbing gym developer in the U.S., with 17 locations across the state of California. Touchstone opened its first climbing gym in San Francisco in 1995, then expanded into the Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, Fresno and Los Angeles areas. In addition to opening new locations, the team at Touchstone has also expanded existing locations, adding 9,000 square feet of climbing to Pipeworks in 2015 and 6,000 square feet to Dogpatch Boulders in 2016—the latter of which is the Largest Bouldering Gym in America. Touchstone also operates the Largest Climbing Gym in America—Pacific Pipe Company, which unsurprisingly won the Largest New Climbing Gym of 2021 award. In 2024, Touchstone has already opened a new gym in the Los Angeles area (Class 5 Torrance) and has a second one on the way, in between San Francisco and San Jose.
2. Central Rock Gym
- Open Gyms: 28
- Planned Gyms: 3 (FL, NY)
- Region: East Coast
- States: CT, FL, GA, MA, NY, RI
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 14
- Bouldering Gyms: 14
- Self-Built Gyms: 24
- Acquired/Merged Gyms: 4
The 2nd-largest climbing gym developer in the U.S.—founded by Joe and Ed Hardy—is Central Rock Gym (CRG), which operates 28 locations throughout six states. Originally based in the Northeast, CRG opened its first gym in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2009, then added new builds throughout the state as well as in Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. In 2023, CRG expanded into the South for the first time, opening two gyms in Florida that year, in addition to three gyms in the Northeast. This year, CRG further expanded its footprint in the South, acquiring the four Stone Summit gyms in Georgia—CRG’s first acquisition. Although not first on this list, CRG does wear another crown: the only climbing gym developer in North America to have opened more than 20+ gyms entirely through self-builds (i.e., not part of mergers or acquisitions). Three more self-built gyms—in Troy (NY), Miami and Fort Myers (FL)—are in the works, making CRG one of only two developers stateside with 30+ open or planned climbing gyms.
1. Movement Climbing, Yoga & Fitness
- Open Gyms: 30
- Planned Gyms: 3 (CA, PA, VA)
- Region: Nationwide
- States: CA, CO, IL, MD, NY, OR, PA, TX, VA
- Roped/Mixed Gyms: 21
- Bouldering Gyms: 9
- Self-Built Gyms: 8 (as Movement brand)
- Acquired/Merged Gyms: 22
The largest climbing gym developer in the U.S. is Movement Climbing, Yoga & Fitness, the first climbing gym business to operate 30 open locations across the country, from coast to coast. Movement’s origins date back to the 90s, with the founding of Maryland-based Earth Treks by Chris Warner and California-based Planet Granite by Micky Lloyd. In 2017, the two climbing gym companies merged under the El Cap parent company, which later acquired the Colorado-based Movement gyms in 2019. Mark and Anne-Worley Moelter opened the original Movement location in Boulder, Colorado, in 2009, then added two more gyms in the Denver area over the next decade. Following the acquisition, America’s largest climbing gym network unified under the Movement umbrella and continued to expand across the country through self-builds and acquisitions, purchasing four Summit gyms in Texas and acquiring The Cliffs’ five gyms in New York and Pennsylvania. Movement also boasts some of the Largest Climbing Gyms in America—Englewood (3rd-largest), Rockville (6th), Lincoln Park (7th), Design District (9th) and Crystal City (10th). With 30 open and three planned gyms on the way—coming to the San Jose, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia areas—Movement’s total gym count (open or planned) makes it the largest climbing gym developer in the world. In 2024, Movement named Anne-Worley Moelter as the new CEO of the company, a title she held 15 years ago as co-founder of the first Movement gym. (Click here for an exclusive interview with Anne-Worley Moelter, following the appointment.)
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