It’s a sensation climbers know well: standing outside at the base of a rock wall, tied in and with chalked hands, gazing up at an inspiring route that just seems to go on and on and on, paving a path into the sky…Visionaries in the industry have long sought to replicate that experience and continue the stoke indoors, building titans of walls that tower above us, sometimes surpassing 100 feet. By nature of being within (or on the side of) a building, it takes a feat of engineering to build a mammoth climbing wall, but manufacturers and developers have been making it work for decades, creating structures that enable the roped climbing experiences we know and love.
There are hundreds of impressive climbing walls in the United States, from rock-realistic outdoor replicas to colorful modern masterpieces. This article highlights the tallest ones at commercial climbing gyms around the country, whether those walls are outside or inside the gym. Without further ado, below are the top 10 tallest climbing gyms in the U.S., based on peak climbing wall height.
In conjunction with this article, be sure to check out the Largest Climbing Gyms in America and Largest Bouldering Gyms in America, and stay tuned to CBJ for more top 10 lists.
9. Vertical Dreams – Manchester
- Wall Height: 63 ft
- Open Year: 1998
- Location: Manchester, New Hampshire
- Walls: owner/contractor
- Flooring: self-installed using Dollamur
- CRM/POS Software: Rock Gym Pro
Tied for the 9th-tallest climbing gym in the U.S. is Vertical Dreams – Manchester, with 63-foot climbing walls. Vertical Dreams operates two climbing facilities in southern New Hampshire, and while the Nashua location offers more square feet of climbing, the Manchester gym has the taller climbing walls. Opened in 1998—one of five 90s gyms on this list—the Manchester facility features 5,000 square feet of climbing, in total.
9. inSPIRE Rock – Cypress
- Wall Height: 63 ft
- Open Year: 2018
- Location: Cypress, Texas
- Walls: Walltopia
- Flooring: owner/contractor
- CRM/POS Software: Rock Gym Pro
Also tied for the 9th-tallest climbing gym in the U.S. is inSPIRE Rock – Cypress, a roped climbing and bouldering gym featuring 63-foot roped walls. Located northwest of the city of Houston, the Cypress gym—inSPIRE Rock’s second location in the Houston metro area—opened in 2018 and has 24,000 square feet of climbing wall surface, of which 17,500 square feet are dedicated to roped climbing. The gym also boasts over 20 auto belays on walls ranging from 32 to 63 feet.
7. Carabiner’s Climbing and Fitness
- Wall Height: 65 ft
- Open Year: 2004
- Location: New Bedford, Massachusetts
- Walls: owner/contractor
- Flooring: owner/contractor
- CRM/POS Software: Rock Gym Pro
In a tie for the 7th-tallest climbing gym in the country, Massachusetts-based Carabiner’s Climbing and Fitness has roped walls reaching 65 feet. When the facility—founded by Steve Caton, who led the gym’s design and construction—first opened in 2004, it was the largest climbing gym in the U.S., a title it held for seven years. After expanding multiple times, the gym now features 36,600 square feet of climbing, making Carabiner’s also the 8th-largest climbing gym in the U.S.
7. Vertical View
- Wall Height: 65 ft
- Open Year: 2020
- Location: Meridian, Idaho
- Walls: Walltopia
- Flooring: Asana
- CRM/POS Software: Capitan
Also in 7th place, Vertical View features 65-foot climbing walls in the 2020-built gym, the second youngest gym on this list. Situated west of Boise, Idaho, the Tallest New Climbing Gym of 2020 contains 18,000 square feet of climbing terrain across four stories. The 32,000-square-foot facility also has roughly 100 boulder problems, outdoor routes, and six auto belays, in addition to fitness and yoga options, speed climbing courses, and climber education classes.
6. The Front Climbing Club – SLC
- Wall Height: 66 ft
- Open Year: 1999
- Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
- Walls: Vertical Solutions
- Flooring: Habit
- CRM/POS Software: Rock Gym Pro
The Front Climbing Club – Salt Lake City is the 6th-tallest climbing gym in the U.S., with climbing walls reaching 66 feet. Opened in 1999, The Front’s hallmark SLC location features 18,750 square feet of climbing built by sister company Vertical Solutions—with more bouldering surface coming this winter—in a 50,000-square-foot facility. Originally a bouldering hub, the gym expanded into a space next door in 2015, adding roped climbing into the mix. Today, the gym features multiple training boards; fitness, cardio and yoga options; as well as a gear shop, café, saunas and more.
5. Kansas Cliff Club
- Wall Height: 80 ft
- Open Year: 1998
- Location: Wichita, Kansas
- Walls: owner/contractor
- Flooring: owner/contractor
- CRM/POS Software: their website (WordPress)
The Kansas Cliff Club—located in a once vacant concrete plant in Wichita, Kansas—is the 5th-tallest climbing gym in the US, with 80-foot climbing walls. According to its website, the gym “is a private, grassroots, not-for-profit organization created for the purpose of supporting the sport of rock climbing in Wichita.” The unstaffed facility first opened in 1998, featuring 11,500 square feet of climbing across 65-to-80-foot outdoor climbs and 32-foot indoor climbs. The 80-foot splitter concrete cracks outside take trad gear.
4. projectROCK Easley
- Wall Height: 84 ft
- Open Year: 2022
- Location: Easley, South Carolina
- Walls: RADRock
- Flooring: Flashed; owner/contractor
- CRM/POS Software: MindBody
The country’s 4th-tallest climbing gym is projectROCK Easley, a 2022 build with 84-foot-tall climbing walls. The 16,500-square-foot Easley facility—projectROCK’s second location and the newest gym on this list—was the Tallest New Climbing Gym of 2022 and has the tallest indoor climbing walls in the U.S. that were built in a standard climbing gym building (not a silo). The South Carolina gym features 32,000 square feet of climbing on RADRock rock-realistic features that mimic several classic climbing areas in the U.S., from Yosemite Valley to Horse Pens 40.
3. Stoneyard – The Silos
- Wall Height: 90 ft
- Open Year: 1999
- Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Walls: owner/contractor
- Flooring: owner/contractor
- CRM/POS Software: Approach
The 3rd-tallest climbing gym in the U.S. is Stoneyard – The Silos, which has 90-foot climbing walls. The Oklahoma City-based gym came to life in 1999 when grain silos in the city were repurposed for climbing. The Silos have an estimated 8,000 square feet of climbing, with both indoor and outdoor climbs. The 90-foot indoor walls, in particular, are the tallest indoor climbing walls of any U.S. gym. Originally Rocktown Climbing Gym, then Climb Up, then Summit OKC, the gym was purchased by Ozark Climbing Gym in 2023 and now operates as Stoneyard.
2. Upper Limits – Bloomington
- Wall Height: 110 ft
- Open Year: 1995
- Location: Bloomington, Illinois
- Walls: owner/contractor
- Flooring: owner/contractor
- CRM/POS Software: Rock Gym Pro
Upper Limits – Bloomington is in 2nd place for the tallest climbing gym in the country, with climbing walls that reach 110 feet. Another unique gym offering climbing inside silos, the Bloomington gym—Upper Limits’ first location—has 65-foot routes in the silos and a 110-foot outdoor wall, in addition to more climbing terrain indoors. In total, the 20,000-square-foot facility offers 18,000 square feet of climbing and a variety of climbing programs. Upper Limits now operates two other climbing facilities in St. Louis and Chesterfield, Missouri.
1. Basecamp Reno
- Wall Height: 164 ft
- Open Year: 2011
- Location: Reno, Nevada
- Walls: outdoor walls by EP Climbing; indoor walls by Vertical Solutions
- Flooring: Flashed
- CRM/POS Software: Rock Gym Pro
Basecamp Reno, located at the Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno, Nevada, features the tallest climbing walls of any gym in the U.S, with its astounding 164-foot outdoor wall—built by EP Climbing—on the side of the hotel building. Opened in 2011, the Guinness Book of World Records’ “World’s Largest Climbing Wall” can be ascended as a two-pitch sport climb or as a single top rope pitch. In addition to the famed outdoor wall, Basecamp Reno also offers a variety of bouldering terrain inside the facility for hotel guests and seasoned climbers alike.
Climbing Business Journal is an independent news outlet dedicated to covering the indoor climbing industry. Here you will find the latest coverage of climbing industry news, gym developments, industry best practices, risk management, climbing competitions, youth coaching and routesetting. Have an article idea? CBJ loves to hear from readers like you!
