Whether you’re a permanent resident in Phoenix or just stopping by for a vacation period in the Valley of the Sun, going by any of today’s climbing gyms will be sure to leave you with a smile on your face. It doesn’t even matter if you’ve never had the chance or thought to climb in your life, and even if you’re a pro that’s been in the sport since childhood – coming to a climbing gym in Phoenix couldn’t be easier as all skill levels are supported, meaning every person imaginable is welcome. Since there are a wide variety of gyms that appeal to an even more vast group of people, today we have thought to form a list of our overall best climbing gyms in Phoenix, our top picks, our runner up, and lastly, our value gym that is perfect for climbers looking to go a little on the cheaper route.
Looking for a different city? Check out our reviews of other cities’ climbing gyms here.
Our Favorite for the Best Overall Climbing Gyms in Phoenix
Our Favorite for the Best Overall Climbing Gyms in PhoenixApe Index Rock Climbing
Overview:
Simply put, the Ape Index Rock Climbing Gym is a premium facility that was recently remodeled entirely to give its customers a heavily new feel. They created an environment that’s suitable for all skill levels and ages which broadens their customer base. Their hours range from 3 pm – 10 pm Monday through Friday to earlier hours on the weekend. Once you step foot into the building, a friendly staff member is sure to give you top-notch orientation regardless of your skill level to ensure that you feel comfortable.
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What Makes Ape Index Rock Climbing Unique:
- One special aspect about this gym just so happens to be the companionship and safety that the owners of the gym value over everything. You can also schedule what they call a “team builder” which can help you and your friends achieve any goals that you never thought were even achievable.
Why Choose Ape Index Rock Climbing:
- Ape Index Rock Climbing is loved and supported by a very large number of members in the climbing community, from Reddit to Facebook. Here’s some insight from a newcomer to the gym, “Amazing experience! I will be back! The guys there were so willing to help to matter how many times you ask for help! They are patient and take their time to explain safety thoroughly!”
Additional Services:
For those looking for a high amount of additional services and functions, Ape Index Rock Climbing will be perfect for you. They offer climbing clubs as well as summer camps every year with quite a large turnaround so if you happen to attend any camp you’ll be welcomed into the family with a swift breeze. Of course, they offer private lessons as well which is quite the standard when it comes to this kind of stuff.
Pricing:
Lastly, for the pricing, a day pass for adults is a sizable $25 but also comes with gear (a $5 cheaper option is available minus the gear). While the kids day pass is only $20 for both options if you want kids to tag along on your journey. As for the monthly memberships for any occasional climber, it’s $60 per month.
Our Top Picks for the Best Bouldering Gyms in Phoenix
Our Top Picks for the Best Bouldering Gyms in PhoenixBlack Rock Bouldering Gym
Overview:
Being open from 3 pm – 10 pm on the weekdays and 10 am – 6 pm on Saturday (and several hours more for members only) the Black Rock Bouldering Gym attempts and succeeds at being Phoenix’s brightest and kindest gym. They embrace every type of person imaginable that could potentially enter their facility as they take everything seriously and professionally all while being fun and safe. Even so, once you join the family and become a member you get loads and loads of perks that is sure to get you your money back in quality and experience. Some of those perks range from free events, early hours, free classes, and much more. If you ask us, it’s quite impressive on the level of positivity this gym emits from the day it opens to the present – it’s a must stop by if you’re looking for a quality packed positive gym.
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What Makes Black Rock Bouldering Gym Unique:
- It’s not just a gym, it’s a place for climbers to hang out, learn in a well-designed facility, and become better people. The Black Rock Gym could easily be referred to as a second home with friendly staff, happy customers, and a loving community. Calling this the friendliest gym in the city might just be more accurate than we think.
Why Choose Black Rock Bouldering Gym:
- The Black Rock Bouldering Gym is highly rated and an exceptional place to come by to visit, as evident by a plethora of recent reviews, “Truly excellent place to climb. They do a great job cycling through routes so that there is always new routes to try and to challenge you. I’ve only done the month membership for 1 month and I’m definitely going to do the yearly membership.”
Additional Services:
If you can focus better or just prefer to work one-on-one, this gym offers private lessons for you or with a group of friends. You can improve your skills and learn all the safety skills required to become an expert climber or just to sharpen your knowledge. They also offer an introduction to bouldering for those who would like to learn this very special sport, which just happens to be open to people of all ages and the staff are happy to teach and be patient with children. Additionally, yoga classes are also available for those interested, but this service is practically available at every gym out there.
Pricing:
As for Black Rock Bouldering Gym, the pricing for an adult day pass comes in at $20. Monthly memberships have 5 different varieties of price with the membership that’s most purchased being the standard monthly one which is a solid $79. While being a member offers a multitude of discounts and offers that are exclusive to being a member, the standard rate for gear is $4 for shoes and $2 for chalk.
AZ On The Rocks
Overview:
With a sizable and always expanding list of things to do, the AZ On The Rocks Gym sets forth a 14,000 square foot facility with over 30-foot tall walls. You’ll soon encounter the great customer service and rules set in place for the bettering of the community. One review out of the literal thousands just shows how well-loved this gym really is, “This is an extremely well-run, top-notch facility. Outstanding organization skills, helpful & competent employees, and a real love for their community. Only downfall is that it is an hour from our home so we aren’t able to attend as much as we’d like….open a west valley location next!?! Highly recommend!!”
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What Makes AZ On The Rocks Unique:
- For the most part, every single week offers new events and functions for their members. This helps to keep everything fresh and new no matter the time you stop in.
Why Choose AZ On The Rocks:
- It’s a fully air-conditioned location that promises %100 customer satisfaction. If safety is one of your main concerns which it tends to be with most people, you can put forth some trust with the workers at the AZ On The Rocks Gym because you’ll get taught and shown a video once you arrive for orientation that attempts to teach the basics.
Additional Services:
AZ On The Rocks takes the cake when it comes to extra offers and services, specifically with several focused on the younger side of climbers. For example, kids are welcome to attend this gym after school and throw parties at this location. But if you’re a serious and talented climber you may be more intrigued by their ninja, yoga, and team-building courses.
Pricing:
Considering we have chosen AZ On The Rocks to fit on our top picks list, you can expect great prices for a considerable value – and you surely won’t be let down with this one. Their day passes for adults come in at $27 and are packed with gear, with the kid’s pass being $3 cheaper. Luckily enough, the membership options come with a relatively low initiation fee of $29 and then a $76 fee per month. Although if you’re in the market to save $100, you can pay for the annual membership that’s only $775.
Our Runner Up for Climbing Gyms in Phoenix
Our Runner Up for Climbing Gyms in PhoenixFocus Climbing Center
Overview:
You can be sure to expect a large location with a good mix of routes at the Focus Climbing Center. The staff remains as professional as possible and the gym always offers a breath of fresh air upon arrival. Uniquely, lots of problems are designed to be on the routes to even cause the most experienced of climbers to rethink their basics on climbing which in turn works well with beginners.
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What Makes Focus Climbing Center Unique:
- People seem to love this location just a little bit more than most others with reviews like, “My wife and I went here to see what indoor rock climbing is like, had a blast. Staff was great, friendly atmosphere, not crowded at all on a Saturday late morning. For sure plan on coming back, if I had more free time we’d have gotten a membership before we left.”
Why Choose Focus Climbing Center:
- They offer a plethora of discounts with a $40 discount on that very membership for any college students. On top of that, if you share the Focus Climbing Center Facebook page online, you’ll get a discount or even a free drink which is a very thoughtful offer.
Additional Services:
They offer training for any skill type, yoga classes for those interested, and always have new events going on. New routes and setups are frequently added which just makes things even better in reality. If you have a complaint or a change, the staff will be sure to put your word higher up and try and do something about it.
Pricing:
Moving into the pricing for Focus Climbing Center, the day rates range in price with the adult day pass being $18, and $10 for children over 5. If you don’t come entirely prepared with your own materials, they offer shoe and harness rentals for a good price of $7. As for the most pricey and large packages, the monthly rates for an individual come in at $70 with a $50 registration fee which weighs in as one of the most expensive ones.
The Value Gym for Phoenix Climbing Gyms
The Value Gym for Phoenix Climbing GymsPhoenix Rock Gym
Overview:
Beginners are welcome and implored to come visit the Phoenix Rock Gym with their 17,000 square foot location that’s packed full of 30 feet high walls. Interestingly enough, pros also heavily enjoy the experience contained in this gym as evident by the feedback. The expertise featured here will be able to offer to help on any step of the way it takes for you to get climbing. You’re sure to be almost overwhelmed with the number of services and size to this great climbing gym.
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What Makes Phoenix Rock Gym Unique:
- Considering we picked this gym for the value gym, you’d hope they offer a very special service or policy to earn that title – and they sure do! Anything that you happen to purchase at the Phoenix Rock Gym comes with NO initiation fee, which is a one in a million chance that gyms would do this. Typically, each gym requires a starting fee anywhere from $10-50 or even more. And on top of that, there’s no tax at all, which means if you would like a day pass for $20, that’s all you pay.
Why Choose Phoenix Rock Gym:
- It’s very highly rated, and always has new stuff going on which offers a fresh take any time of the year. An example of their customer satisfaction comes from their reviews, with their overall rating being 4.7 stars, “I loved this location! We are new to climbing and wanted to enjoy our time in AZ. We walked in and were greeted by the polite staff. The setting was awesome and the atmosphere was welcoming. The people there were kind. Clean place with great options for bouldering. The price is fair and worth every penny spent. I enjoyed the settings and the problems they had up on the bouldering section. It was a blast!!!”
Additional Services:
The Phoenix Rock Gym sadly does not have many other services than climbing and the basics, but they do a really good job at providing seriously awesome climbing services that are undebatable. However, they do offer competitions that are sure to draw out the competitive side out of all of us. These competitions include multiple rounds of climbing and even some high stakes towards the final rounds. They are entertaining to watch and even more of an experience to actually be a part of.
Pricing:
Luckily, day passes come bundled with gear for $20 here at the Phoenix Rock Gym, or $15 by disregarding the shoes, harness, and carabiner. As we stated, there is no initiation fee or tax on every single product offered here which is a huge plus. Furthermore, the monthly pass is only $60 and is $42 for kids under the age of 13. Overall, these are some of the best prices out there, and their no tax and no fee is something that’s remarkable and outstanding for all their customers – make sure to take advantage of it.
When it comes to our favorite gym located in Phoenix, Ape Index Rock Climbing is the one that tops them all. Safety is their number one priority and that really shines through as soon as you step foot inside the gym.
Black Rock Bouldering Gym weighs in as the top pick when in comparison to AZ On The Rocks. As we stated, this isn’t just a mere gym – it’s a location for all sorts of activities to go on regarding climbing and is a very interesting and fun place for people just to hang out and enjoy talking.
Next up – on the runner upfront, that title simply goes to Focus Climbing Center due to its very unique qualities. The friendly staff is an easy takeaway from this location, and you’ll be sure to have a blast with all they tend to offer year-round.
As for the gym which seemingly processes the most value for the cheapest and offers the widest amount of content, the Phoenix Rock Gym dethrones all. There are always several discounts floating around for their services which helps this gym have several of the lowest prices on the market.
While to each gym is it’s own, there’s likely a specific one that’s caught your attention depending on your needs. Whichever gym you happen to pick out of today’s list of the best climbing gyms in Phoenix, we’re sure it will provide you with a satisfactory experience. So good luck climbing out here in Phoenix!
Did you enjoy this guide on the best climbing gym in Phoenix? Check out our reviews of other cities’ climbing gyms here.
