The best places to go rock climbing in NYC

At 42,000 square feet with over 100 climbing routes across walls that reach as high as 45 feet, The Cliffs at Gowanus boasts the tallest walls and the largest climbing space in NYC. Located at 242 Butler Street, it has three floors of rock climbing, a full fitness center, a sunlit yoga studio, saunas and even a large rooftop with views of Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn.

It also offers a wide range of training equipment, including a whole room dedicated to training and even dual 10-meter speed walls—like the ones featured in the Olympics. Not only that, there’s a climbing gear shop in case you need to upgrade your kit.

VITAL Climbing Gym offers several locations around New York City: In Brooklyn, Lower East Side, and West Harlem/Upper East Side.

In Brooklyn, for example, VITAL transformed a former warehouse in Williamsburg into a 24/7 bouldering gym with 45,000 square feet of tread walls, tension, kilter and campus climbing, hang boards, and slacklines. Plus, they added even more fitness equipment, from cardio machines and aerial silks to a yoga studio and more. Don't miss the rooftop sauna! 

In the Lower East Side, there's cycling, yoga, and more in addition to climbing. 

The 16,000-square-foot Brooklyn Bouldering Project (formerly Brooklyn Boulders) in Gowanus offers a dynamic hub for climbing, wellness, youth, and coworking. A renovation in late 2023 increased climbing terrain by 60 percent, including diverse bouldering routes for all skill levels. They also offer state-of-the-art fitness equipment to complement climbing training. Plus, there's a suite of classes for beginners and intermediate climbers.

As the perfect spot to learn the ropes, the friendly staff at Movement LIC (formerly The Cliffs at LIC) are well equipped to share their knowledge. If you’re nervous about trying rock climbing for the first time, the $49 introductory class gives you a full 1.5 hours of instruction where you learn the knots, harness procedures and safety precautions you’ll need to pass a belay test (the price includes a day-pass and gear rental, so you’ll be all set to jump into the deep end).

Avid climbers can purchase a membership to gain access to special clinics, which teaches you how to transition from indoor courses to real cliffs. 

Many of the city’s sportier individuals are well aware of the numerous fitness opportunities at Chelsea Piers, including sand volleyball and golf overlooking the Hudson. But the facility also boasts one of the more challenging rock climbing walls in the country.

At The Cliffs at Chelsea Piers, there are 11,000 feet worth of climbable three-dimensional jutting walls that extend to an overhung competition roof, which means users are actually climbing perpendicular to the ground. Make sure you’re already belay-certified from another facility, or purchase a class at Chelsea Piers, before purchasing a non-member guest pass.

Dating back to 1992, this tried and true climbing gym was the first of its kind in NYC, and is still one of the best spots to appease your inner adventurer. The Climbing Gym at Manhattan Plaza Health Club boasts 5,000 square feet of climbing space, which includes various degrees of challenging levels.

First-time climbers can opt for a one-hour belay course or a 15-minute bouldering instruction, including equipment rental and a day pass. You’ll want to return since new climbing challenges are created every week.

Movement Harlem (formerly Cliffs at Harlem) is just across from the Apollo Theater in Harlem and has 15,000 square feet of space with hundreds of climbs (refreshed weekly and state-of-the-art climbing training equipment). Among its offerings are campus boards, a tension board, and LED MoonBoard for customized training programs, cardio and strength training programs, yoga classes and a gear shop for indoor and outdoor climbing needs. 

If you’re new to rock climbing, you can also head to the gym for some hands-on training. The Cliffs offer a range of classes and clinics led by industry experts for all experience levels. 

Governors Island already has an impressive playground (including slides for adults), but the landmark offers bouldering. Locat­ed on West­ern Prom­e­nade, the boul­der has several climbing routes with varying difficulties that you can learn about on-site. It’s free to use thanks to the Trust for Pub­lic Land, Trust for Gov­er­nors Island, The North Face and other organizations.

Just be sure to check the schedule in advance to make sure it's open.

This premier climbing gym near Columbus Circle is an open, community-focused space that offers giant steep overhangs, delicate slab climbs and climbing-specific training stations with hang boards to help you prepare for your next hike. In addition, Central Rock Gym includes 40-foot rope stations.