Boston Climbing Gyms: Where To Be In 2024
Last Updated on: 23rd January 2024, 01:38 pm
Trying to navigate the Boston climbing gym scene? This city famous for its charming cobblestone streets, historic neighborhoods, and rich history, also boasts a number of climbing gyms where folks go to challenge themselves on the wall. It’s true the city may not be a hotspot for outdoor crags, but there is still a thriving community of climbers in Beantown. And we have the beta you need to navigate it all.
Like rock climbing gyms in Dallas and other metro areas across the US, Boston has a number of gyms with multiple locations both in the city and in the greater New England area. If you travel a lot or like the flexibility of multiple gyms, make sure to take a look at how many locations each gym has.
Table of Contents
- Central Rock Gym Boston
- Rock Spot Climbing Gym Boston
- Metro Rock Climbing Gym Boston
- Boston Bouldering Project
- Wrap-up: Rock climbing in Boston
Central Rock Gym Boston
If you’re looking for the best bang for you buck membership, Central Rock Gym is it. The gym has 7 locations in the greater Boston area alone, which means no matter where you live, you’re probably not far one of their gyms. Beyond the Boston area, you can find locations in New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Florida. And yes, your membership works in those places as well.
As far as the gym themselves go, the facilities range widely in what they offer depending on where you go. All of them have bouldering, but only a select few have lead climbing and tope rope. In addition, some gyms come equipped with saunas, yoga classes, fitness areas, and auto-belays. To see a full list of each gyms offering, you can check out their locations page.
The downside of this gym? Memberships are on the pricey side. Granted, you get a lot, but still. $115 is pretty steep for a monthly charge. They do offer discounts for folks under 22 as well as military personal.
Central Rock: Gym details
Hours:
Vary by location
Types of climbing:
Vary by location, but can include:
Bouldering
Lead
Top Rope
Auto-belay
Facility perks:
Vary by location, but can include:
Fitness & Yoga Classes
Workout Area
Suana
Pricing:
Day pass: $30
Membership monthly: $115
Rock Spot Climbing Gym Boston
Rock Spot is another gym with a few location scattered across New England including two in the Boston area. For the purpose of this review, we’ll focus on the South Boston location as it’s most central to the city.
At Rock Spot, you’ll find a decent amount of climbing including top rope, auto-belay, and bouldering problems. They also have a fairly extensive set of hangboards, ladders, and other training equipmet. Where the gym falls short is lead climbing — there’s none of it! While there are plenty of routes and problems to keep you busy, it’s the wrong place to be if you want to lead.
Beyond the climbing, the gym has a full retail store (fairly well stocked) bike storage, a fitness area, and tables for potential co-working.
Rock Spot: Gym details
Hours:
Monday – Friday 6:30AM – 11PM
Saturday & Sunday. 8AM – 11PM
Types of climbing:
Bouldering
Top Rope
Auto-belay
Facility perks:
Fitness & Yoga Classes
Workout Area
Space for Co-working
Pricing:
Day pass: $34
Membership monthly: $75
Metro Rock Climbing Gym Boston
MetroRock is located outside of the downtown area in Everett (perfect for all you folk living North of Boston proper). There also a few more locations scattered across the North East that your membership gives you access too. Every gym has bouldering, lead climbing, and top rope.
One nice thing about this gym is its hours. Though they have three different sets, the gym is open till 10pm nightly ensuring you can sneak in for an end of day session (often when it’s least crowded) and get some climbing in.
Metro Rock: Gym details
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00AM – 10:00PM
Tuesday & Thursday 7:00AM – 10:00PM
Saturday & Sunday. 9:00AM – 10:00PM
Types of climbing:
Bouldering
Top Rope
Auto-belay
Facility perks:
Adult & Youth Climbing Teams
Intro to Lead Class
Workout Area
Pricing:
Day pass: $25
Membership monthly: $99
Boston Bouldering Project
Contrary to what the name implies, this gym has more than bouldering (though they have A LOT of bouldering). Located outside of the city center, it is just one of a series of Bouldering Project gyms that focus on sharing the love of the sport and growing it in a diverse and inclusive style.
The Boston location boasts the normal climbing gym perks: workout areas, yoga and fitness classes, specific climbing training equipment. The memberships are on the spendier side, but you do get access to a large series if gyms in some of the biggest urban hubs.
The gym also regularly hosts events such as Reel Rock viewings, community runs, and even a parkour class. Like we mentioned, this is series of gyms so if you opt for a membership, you’ll be able to get into their DC gym or any other location.
Boston Bouldering Project gym details
Hours:
Monday – Friday 6AM – 11PM
Saturday & Sunday. 8AM – 10PM
Types of climbing:
Bouldering
Top Rope
Lead
Facility perks:
Yoga & Fitness Classes
Workout Area
Pricing:
Day pass: $30
Membership monthly: $115
Wrap-up: Rock climbing in Boston
With outdoor meccas like Rumney and the Gunks nearby, it’s no surprise that rock climbing in Boston is supported by a thriving gym scene. Whether you’re a first-timer or someone looking to keep your climbing skills sharp during those harsh New England winters, Boston has something for you.
