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Bay area climbing gym recommendations for lead climbing
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Hello! I'm moving to the bay area in a month and trying to decide where to live. I've heard traffic can be horrendous across some of the bridges, and so I'm basing some of my decision-making as far as neighborhoods go on climbing gym proximity since i climb 3-4x per week. I'd love any advice on the best gyms for rope climbing, specifically lead walls. Nothing against bouldering, I just have some joint issues so try to minimize it these days. Which gyms are your favorites for ropes?! As some context, I'd prefer to be close to nature and trail running (not much of a city person), such as Marin/Mill Valley, but it seems like getting to a decent climbing gym from Marin during rush hour may be tricky. Plus, I'll be commuting to FiDi 2X a week for work. Would it be feasible to drive from Mill Valley to Pacific Pipe at 5pm on a weekday? or is that crazy? Could I live in Oakland and still get to Marin for trail runs after work without sitting in traffic for an hour? Are there neighborhoods in oakland that are closer to nature and have good trail access? Is the Gravity Vault in Marin a decent gym? Am i trying too hard to have the best of both worlds? Please help!! Thank you so much!!!! |
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If you don't like cities Oakland is not an amazing place to be. There is a Movement gym (is it Earthtreks now?) in the Presidio which would be much closer, as well as the Gravity Vault and Kevin Jorgeson's gym in Santa Rosa. I would not drive from Mill Valley to Oakland at rush hour for the gym, you would spend more time in the car than working out. |
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Live on either side of the Golden Gate bridge (in SF or Sausalito), and bike or run to the gym (Movement) in the Presidio in SF. Try to live in a place where you can run to the trails from where you live. No need to drive, if you find the right location. One of the things I like most about living in SF is NOT driving, and being able to bike locally, including to and on the trails in the Marin Headlands (across the GG bridge). |
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Definite no to any reasonable commute from Marin to West Oakland or vice versa. Another option would be far east bay (other side of Caldecott Tunnel) where there more nature and to commute in to climb in Oakland (including as part of your 2x commute to downtown SF). That said, the Oakland hills are nice, if no Marin. For the record, I live four blocks from Pacific Pipe and wouldn't live anywhere else in the Bay Area. |
Kristen Moree wrote: The Oakland/Berkeley hills are a nice natural area with good views and lots of trails. It's a nice resource and pretty easily accessible. A much more reasonable local after work trails option if living in the east bay. |
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IMO, the trails in the East Bay are *fine* compared to the trails in Marin. Most trails in the East Bay are pretty heavily trafficked, which is a bit of a bummer tbh. It’s not so much that you’ll see a lot of people during the week, it’s more that it’s kind of a buzzkill to see the erosion and use. :/ I also think you get more variability in terrain in Marin (depending where you’re at). For trail access alone, I’d choose Marin. For gym and general climbing access, East Bay all day. There’s 3 touchstone rope gyms in the East Bay (some smaller than others lol), a bouldering gym (soon to be another), an urban bouldering spot, and you’re about 30 minutes closer to the Sierra. I know bouldering isn’t your thing, but there is a long traverse (V5) in the East Bay that’s never more than like a foot or two off the ground. :) The highways in Oakland are All Traffic Noise All the Time. I moved to my current spot in North Oakland in 2021, and it was dope. Since the city traffic has picked up again, the noise is constant. If you’re not a city person, it’s a bit draining. Feel free to PM me and I can send you more details and/or pics of trails if you want! |
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It's worth noting that in Marin, you have the possibility of climbing at Mickey's Beach / Kim's Gym / Vent 5 on weeknights -- not a bottomless supply of climbs, but enough to keep you entertained for a while. I used that as my 'gym' for some of Covid and it was quite fun. The presidio Movement is a nice actual gym for ropes. My guess is you could be happy in either place -- Oakland has nicer Sierra access and a bigger gym selection; Marin makes it a bit easier to feel you're 'out of the city' on weeknight runs/climbs in the headlands, Mt Tam, Stinson, etc. |
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Thank you all SO much! This is incredibly helpful. Sounds like Marin is the place to be and just go to movement presidio. Anyone have info on the route setting for ropes (is it high quality?) and frequency of resetting? I’ll check out the Oakland hills as well, because from the looks of it pacific pipe seems head and shoulders above movement presidio in terms of gym quality. Thanks for all the insight! Will be sure to avoid commuting across those bridges! |
Richard Randall wrote: Richard what is Kim’s Gym and Vent 5? I’ve heard of mickeys beach but not those! |
Kristen Moree wrote: They're two newer sport areas very close to Mickey's Beach with a different (mostly grippier) rock texture and a wider range of grades. Kim's Gym has mostly 10's and Vent 5 has 10's and 11's and one or two 12's. For 11's and 12's the Emperor and Motown also share Vent 5's parking. All really good fun with very friendly bolting! |
Isaac Mann-Silverman wrote: Thanks, Isaac. Do you know anything about Gravity Vault? From some reviews i've read it seems to cater more towards families/children than climbers who are training, but curious to hear someone's thoughts who has spent time there! Santa Rosa may be a bit too far from Mill Valley but a good one to know about! |
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I live in Pacifica (10 miles south of SF), and I LOVE it. Little town on the ocean. Lots of trails for biking and running. I drive into the city 3 nights a week to climb. Once to Mission Cliffs (a 20 min drive), once to Dogpatch to boulder (15 min drive), and once to Pacific Pipe in Oakland (25-40 min drive depending on traffic). Pacific Pipe is hands down the best gym, simply given its size. There are just always new routes to get on and the setting is fantastic. Mission Cliffs is great but can be crowded at night and they don't change routes as often as I'd like. But I still love it there. Dogpatch (bouldering only) is huge and super fun, but can also get crowded at night. I've never lived in Oakland so I won't knock it, but it you want nature, Pacifica is beautiful and way more affordable than Marin. Good luck! |
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Counterpoint: the Berkeley Hills have fantastic trail running. Wildcat, Tilden, Sibley, Huckleberry, Redwood, Joaquin Miller, and Lake Chabot, plus EBMUD land, form a 20-mile chain of open space with everything from single track to fire roads and deep, dark redwood forests to wide open ridgetop views from the Golden Gate Bridge out to Mt. Diablo and the Sierra.* It just so happens that Marin also has trail running that is just a little bit better. But we're talking about City of Rocks versus Castle Rock State Park, or the Valley versus Tuolumne; sure, one's better than the other, but the less good option is still pretty great.** And Marin is really a quick trip on a weekend or even a summer weeknight when the days are long. If I were you I'd think a lot harder about those rush-hour trips over the Golden Gate Bridge to get either to Movement or to work. BART to FIDI is going to be vastly, vastly easier than any commuting option from Marin (unless your employer is going to buy you a pricy-ass ferry pass; but the ferry isn't close at all to a gym). And from BART, it's a quick walk to GWPC for ropes or a very quick bike ride to Pac Pipe or Ironworks. Living in or near the Oakland hills with an e-bike or a motorcycle could be a pretty decent option for your priorities. Anyhow, I would get the vibe of both options before committing. Depending on your age, parenthood and relationship status, desire to do fun cultural things, and desire to pay rent that varies from expensive to extreme, different areas could appeal for different reasons. But don't write off the East Bay for lack of trail running. *This is only true on maybe the 2 clearest days a year, when the sun is in the right spot. But I'm pretty sure you can't see the Sierra from anywhere in Marin except maybe the summit of Mt. Tam. ** This metaphor needs work. |
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Just to answer the question, I'd rank the gyms' ropes as follows: 1. Pac Pipe [huge gap] 2. Mission Cliffs 3. Movement [smaller gap] 4. Ironworks 5. Great Western Note, though, that all the gyms except Movement are Touchstone gyms, so with one membership you can move between them. I live in Berkeley and go to all three of IW, GWPC and PP in any given month. Also note the bouldering-only gyms, just so we're complete (Pac Pipe has more bouldering than any of these except maybe Dogpatch):
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I live in Berkeley to co-parent my son and am not a city person. I know it’s all preference but I’d choose Marin 100% and cross the bridge into the presidio. The trails and ocean access in Marin are great. It’s so much quieter and more chill. I’ve lived in both the Oakland and Berkeley hills and would skip that area for theft and general crime overall. East Bay hills don’t touch Marin for trail running and biking. And even if you’re not into ocean sports, who doesn’t want a beach hang in their backyard. If gym climbing and the community there is massively important to you then Berkeley could work (40-45 minutes to Marin trails if you time traffic properly). If you value quality of life over the gym, Marin all day. |
Eric Metzgar wrote: Thank you for sharing these details about Pacifica! Was not on my radar at all and after checking it out based on your description I'm super intrigued.. Do you know anything about what the commute into the city is like during rush hour? I only have to go in 2x a week so it's not a big deal, but a good data point to keep in mind! I'm definitely going to check it out when i visit - thank you so much! |
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Thank you SO much everyone!! These details are extremely helpful! I love getting all of these data points. I'll be visiting the bay soon to look at houses and will make sure to check out the trails in Berkeley Hills and Oakland Hills, look at some houses in Pacifica and Marin, and then make a decision! Really really appreciate all of you taking the time to share your personal experiences and advice. |
Kristen Moree wrote: The commute totally depends on where you're going in the city. If you going to the north end, it can be quite a commute in the thick of rush hour. But if you're going east (like to Dogpatch Boulders), or to the west or south, it's not too bad. I drive to my in-laws in the Castro during rush hour and it takes between 20-30 minutes. Hope that helps! |
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I live in the Oakland hills, the trail running is very very good here. It's not quite as scenic as Marin trails but there is plenty of great singletrack and plenty of vertical as well. There's a great east bay trail running community as well. 15-20min drive to Pacific Pipe and 10min drive to a BART station which now has super easy parking after the pandemic. |
Kristen Moree wrote: Hey Kristen, Gravity Vault is my main gym just due to the proximity to my residence. It most certainly caters to children/families, there is an abundance of kids classes throughout the week, teams in the afternoon, birthdays on the weekends, and currently summer camps that do take up a large amount of space from 9-4 throughout the week. It sometimes feels negligent on the owners part to offer so many programs for kids considering the moderate size of the gym and having a kid wobble under you while bouldering or on a autobelay becomes a real concern at certain times and has been a dealbreaker for some people. That being said I think the route setting is great and they set 2 days a week, they have the cleanest holds out of any gym I’ve been to. 2 dedicated lead walls and the majority of the top rope routes are leadable. The climbing traffic at peak times at Gravity Vault are nowhere near the peak times at other Bay Area gyms in my experience which makes training even at the busiest times not a problem. There is a relatively small population of dedicated climbers so you will see familiar faces often and it’s not hard to find a partner if you need one. Overall the size and lack of kids at other gyms that people have mentioned makes them a more appealing option if you can stomach the commutes. Hope this helps! |
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Just a heads up, Pacifica is a nice town but will be very foggy for the summer months. |
