Bay Area Climbing Gyms

The Bay Area is host to some of the best climbing gyms in the country.

Bridges Rock Gym
www.bridgesrockgym.com
5635 San Diego Street
El Cerrito, CA 94530
510.525.5635

Founded by renowned slackliner Damien Cooksey, Bridges predominately focuses on bouldering and slacklining. According to the gym's website, Bridges is the first and only gym in the world with a dedicated slacklining area. The bouldering area features top-out bouldering on formations up to 18 feet tall all over thick gymnastic mats for a safe highball experience. The gym also has a section for roped climbing that is generally used for children's parties or the like. There is an organic cafe called Spread, and a lounge with free wi-fi. Recently built, the gym also features nice locker rooms and saunas. Also offered are yoga and fitnes classes in an adjacent studio called 'Tin Shed Yoga' which I believe may be an homage to Yvon Chouniard's famous blacksmith shop where he crafted some of the world's finest climbing gear. The route setting creates unique and interesting gymnastic challenges rather than deferring to simply smaller and smaller holds to add difficulty. The setters create more thought provoking problems instead. The fees and memberships are somewhat less expensive than your typical full sized rope gym and there are semi-frequent promotions. If you'd like to just check the gym out for the day, day passes are available, or if you are a student, Friday night is student night offering $5 admission. (Please note: If you are not a student, Friday night should be avoided because of the high crowds it draws. If you are a student, what better way to have fun than to head to the gym for $5 for hours of fun with fellow climbers!)

Planet Granite
www.planetgranite.com

Three locations:

San Francisco Presidio
924 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94129
415.692.3434

Planet Granite, SF is one of my all-time favorite gyms. Great route setting (especially Mickey and Ivan's routes!) where a large portion of the gym does away with tape by sticking to single colored holds for routes. This minimizes clutter and creates an overall more enjoyable experience. A large amount of weight and exercise equipment, nice locker rooms with saunas, fitness and yoga classes, large bouldering section with a giant bouldering ramp (an overhang that also heads up and right at a steep angle.) The gym also offers a number of cracks of various widths including an off width, thin fingers, a crack in a corner, parallel cracks, etc...just make sure to tape up as the texture of the indoor walls can be somewhat more abrasive than those found in nearby granite destinations. Nestled just below the Golden Gate Bridge on Crissy Field, PG SF is an indoor climbers' visual and stylistic paradise.

Belmont
100 El Camino Real, Belmont, CA 94002
650.591.3030

Planet Granite Belmont includes over 19,000 square feet of climbing with 80 top ropes. This gym is also fantastic. Good bouldering, great setting, and the cracks are probably even more enjoyable than those found at Planet Granite SF. If a member of Planet Granite SF or Sunnyvale, your membership is good at any location, and if a fan of crack climbing, I'd head here to check out the offerings during the cool winter months when our beloved Sierras are under snow (unless you'd prefer an outdoor winter epic, in which case I say 'Good on ya!!!')

Sunnyvale
815 Stewart Drive, Sunnyvale CA 94085
408.991.9090

While I've not personally had the pleasure of climbing at Sunnyvale PG (between Mountain View and Santa Clara) friends of mine who've been there are just as stoked about it as I am about Planet Granite's other two locations. This gym has 110 top rope anchors, cracks, and even sports an outdoor bouldering area.

Touchstone Climbing & Fitness Centers
Mission Cliffs
2295 Harrison Street, San Francisco
415.550.0515

According to their website, touchstoneclimbing.com, Mission Cliffs, built in 1995, was the first of Touchstone's six gyms. MCs features a 50 ft high lead wall, 14,000 square feet of climbing, 2,000 square feet of bouldering, and over 80 top and lead ropes.

Berkeley Ironworks
800 Potter Street, Berkeley, CA
510.981.9900

Features a 45' high lead wall, 14,000 square feet of climbing, and over 100 top and lead ropes. I haven't been to Ironworks but it and its sibling, Mission Cliffs, have devout followings.

Note: These are the closest climbing gyms I know of to downtown San Francisco. As this area is a growing and burgeoning market for climbing, I wouldn't be surprised to find I am missing one or more. If you have any information about other gyms or comments, reviews, or further information about the gyms above, please post a comment below. Thanks!