We brought our 6 year old daughters here and it is so much fun for them. We watched as they were…read morebuilding confidence as they climbed. And thanks to Elijah's help, my more timid daughter was able to reach the top and ring the bell!!! Extra shout out Elijah, you made their birthday a great one!

My best friend has been coming here with his kids for years and I just went with the kids this past…read moreweekend. First of all I have lived in Crystal Lake for 8 years now and I had no idea this place existed. I'm always looking for activities to do with the kids and a rock climbing gym should be no exception. My buddy had two guest passes for my kids to try out the gym for the day and I had to rent shoes and a climbing harness for my kids, and this was absolutely fair as they didn't have the necessary gear to climb. The employee gave us the gears and gave us a brief safety run down of what to do and where to go, simple enough. The rest of the time was just them climbing and playing. We started off on the Auto-belay/Tope-rope Room side as the kids wanted to get comfortable with climbing first. I have a 10 year old and a 5 year old and the 10 year old had no issues attaching herself to the auto-belay but the 5 year old had issues and I had to help him out every time to connect and disconnect himself. Then they wanted to go on the "expert" side where there are no safety belays. This room is surprisingly large and kids climbing section was cool as heck along with hidden a room for climbing. The kids really enjoyed this side of the room. Overall, I'm glad my buddy invited us over to North Wall Rock Climbing Gym as it gave us an activity to do inside and quite frankly it was just fun. It's an easy going gym and kids can just climb and have fun and hang out. I'll be taking my kids here more often now that I know that this place exists!

Love climbing at Adventure Rock. So many different routes and options to choose. Been here a few…read moretimes! Great activity!

my granddaughter had a week long camp there. Plenty of climbing lanes with a variety of difficulty…read more Also has a bouldering area. Equipment is clean and well maintained. Instructors were attentive, firm, and safety conscious. My granddaughter not only had serious fun - she also learned how to fall!! she even demonstrated it. Totally positive experience. Well worth it!!

Huge place. Great variety of routes. There are so many routes that you can't do them all in one…read morevisit. It would be hard to get bored of the climbs there, because there is almost always a route you've not tried yet. This place has more realistic features and cracks that other gyms don't have. The route grades seem a little inconsistent at times, and compared to the other climbing gyms in the Chicagoland area. For example, most routes feel much, much harder than that grade anywhere else. And many of the mid-to-harder grades seem better suited for taller people, as the shorter among us have to dead point or dyno to many of the holds. You'll definitely get braver and stronger climbing at Vertical Endeavors. Room for improvement: The loose black rubber flooring is always a complaint because like a trip to the beach where you find sand everywhere, pieces of this flooring comes home with you. It also leaves black stuff on your hands and feet, so I recommend that you wear socks/closed toed shoes between climbs, because it's not that easy to scrub out.

My child was attending a party here in March. Birthday child was turning 9 and so several kids this…read moreage. There were also other participants there, ranging in age from 4 or 5 to adult. Most people at the party had no experience climbing. There were some people there not climbing, including young children. After a quick tutorial, everyone went to start climbing. It seemed too quick even. I did not realize there was no staff in the general area they were climbing to help get the area ready (if needed) or clip them in. It seems this would be smart to do and it definitely is needed. My youngest was heading to the climbing area from the party room and a 9 year old was trying to get his climbing area ready by releasing some clips. No staff or adults with the party were helping. We were walking by and since the child was not strong enough to get the other clip off, the clip on the floor flew up and randomly hit me in the face as I was walking by. It all happened so fast, and I thought I lost by eye. The 5" metal clip hit right below my eye. So glad I changed into my contacts before we went because I can't imagine what else would have happened if my glasses were on. I needed to go to urgent eye and the ophthalmologist. Thankfully, the 5" metal clip hit right below by eye and it seemed I would be okay after I healed. It took 5 weeks. While I am okay now, I'm hoping I have no issues come up due to this preventable injury. They make you sign a wavier for anyone there, but it seems to be negligence on the business. Why are children and other inexperienced climbers releasing clips and clipping themselves in?! Maybe this place is good for experienced climbers, but if you are thinking to have a kid party here and most have no experience, I would look elsewhere. They need staff assisting with getting areas ready to climb and clipping climbers in. Bad enough I got hurt and thankfully the 5" metal clip hit right below my eye, but next time it might be a more serious incident.

We love climbing at Adventure Rock, it is a great place to get up and get active in a way that…read moredoesn't feel like traditional working out. I love that there are 3 locations and each location is a little different. WKP has bouldering only, Brookfield and Commerce have rope climbing, lead climbing and bouldering. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. We love climbing at all 3 locations!

First time to an indoor climbing gym in Wisconsin and will be back! This location has many auto…read morebelay routes to choose from in addition to the other top ropes and bouldering. Staff were awesome, helpful and was quick to get an orientation to the gym (auto belays super easy to use). Price was fair for a day pass, I do wish they had complimentary chalk for day pass users. It was very busy but didn't have to wait too long for any of the auto belays on a weekday evening! Facility was clean and lots of cubby space to keep your belongings while you climb.

Bouldering only gym branch of the local Ad Rock climbing gyms. This is the newest gym of the 3…read more There are no roped climbs here - just you and the wall! When my kiddo was tiny (and content to sit on the sidelines) this was a great place to go and switch off between climbing and watching the kid between my husband and I. Nowadays, kiddo wants to climb herself! Unfortunately for her, none of the walls here are really meant for small kids (which I totally get!). If you are looking for that vibe, go checkout the Brookfield gym, its great for kids! If you come here without little kids (which you probably should!), you will find yourself surrounded by varying angles of wall, from a large slabby area to a very overhung cave. Its not typically too busy when I have gone, so you will have plenty of routes to choose from.

Great service, fun routes, and a lot of space so you don't feel like there's too many people at any…read morepoint

This gym has a culture of disproportionate viewpoints that is promulgated across its customers on…read morelarge bulletins and leads to employees pinning their political opinions against climbers that "seem" to have views misaligned with the owners'. They claim to have a policy of inclusivity, yet do not. Their managers will even threaten to kick you out of the gym, if you seem to be expressive of a different point of view on topics, misaligned with their own. The weak leadership leads to unprofessional conduct, which in unfortunate, although isolated, situations leads will lead to climbers being attacked. While this place seems like a regular climbing gym, you may very well feel marginalized bullied here, and with an indifference from management and even the owner of the gym. The holds are always grimy, dirty, typically "gunked" with black rubber, sweat and chalk cake. The climbers in this area seem mostly timid and don't like to be approached, but most of them seem like cool people.

Visited boulders climbing gym yesterday with friends to try rock climbing for my first time. The…read morestaff were super friendly and helpful with guiding me through the different levels and general questions. I was impressed with the selection of different rock walls that Boulders had. The different levels were color coded and it was very straightforward to learn for a first timer. The guests were all super friendly as well and everyone seemed to be having a great time. A guest pass is $25 which includes chalk and climbing shoes to rent. If I do go bouldering again, will definitely revisit!

First Ascent is a great climbing community for beginners as well as seasoned enthusiasts! A…read moremembership at FA allows entry to any of the Chicago locations, which gives access to different setting styles and a variety of boulder/top rope routes. The Arlington Heights locations is one of two (soon to be three) that has top rope routes. If you don't have a belay partner, there are a good number of autobelay routes! Depending on the time, the walls can get a little crowded and there always seems to be youth teams and classes going on. For early risers, they have been holding member only hours on Saturdays from 8-10am. In addition to the walls, there's an extensive weights and cardio area, as well as yoga, HIIT, and Pilates classes. Also, they plan various community building activities, including meetups, craft nights, member appreciation nights, injury prevention workshops, and more! For me, First Ascent provides a well-rounded and fun exercise routine with a great community!

This climbing gyms is enormous! Upon inquiring from the staff, it's a converted water park, and the…read moresize of the facility certainly shows it. Staff are extremely helpful even in the midst of super busy seasons (like winter holidays when kids are out of school). I really appreciate how you can get a set of free equipment rentals with a membership, especially since I had to rent a pregnancy harness a few times. There's everything you need to top rope, boulder, or lead. For top rope and lead, make sure you go through the proper certifications and/or classes through the gym. As this gym is in the suburbs, the size of the parking lot is generous as well. Even during peak times, there's usually a spot available. I love that they have a little compost and community garden out front as well. The locker rooms are equipped with plenty of lockable storage, showers, and bathrooms. They also provide towels should you forget! There are yoga studios to the side with plenty of opportunities for classes --just check the calendar they update. It's an excellent facility for all ages. Honestly, some of the youngest lead climbers I've seen have been at this gym. It's really cool to see how supportive this place is for the community.

Great place for kids to burn some energy. A lot of different sections. My son loves the zip line,…read morehe did 3 times. Great place to host birthday parties.

Very dark inside. Thought my eyes would adjust, but they didn't. Pretty pricey. Pizza is good. Lots…read moreof fun activities. That's it.

They would not allow my daughter to call me even after she was injured on a tubing ride. The…read moreaccommodations are not focused on safety of the children. Parents are not allowed to talk to their children on the phone or in person. I would not recommend this camp. It is very scary and they do not properly vet the camp counselors, nor cabin leaders.

I've been here twice as a staff member for a week-long camp through my church: once as a counselor…read moreand once as an activity coordinator. We stayed in the cabins, ate in one of the cafeterias, and spent most of our time by the beach, in the wood shop, in the chapel (way too cold -- someone turn that air-conditioning down please!), and in the game room pavilion. The cabins were as clean as cabins could be with some bugs (it's summer camp, what do you expect?). One bathroom wasn't enough for a room of ten girls, though! The wood shop was cool, and the girls enjoyed hanging out on the beach nearby, jumping in the water or fishing from the pier. The game room pavilion had chairs and some games to play, but it wasn't as appealing as playing in the park, which was in the middle of everything. The cafeteria/kitchen staff was also very accommodating of my request for vegetarian food. The first year, I was too nervous about asking for special food since it was free, so I just dealt with it and ate meat for a week. The second year, there were more vegetarians among the camp volunteers, so we felt more comfortable asking for vegetarian food. They did a great job remembering us and offering alternative foods. The camp and conference center also has a lagoon, paddle boats, canoeing, a paintball arena, sand volleyball, a gym, some high-ropes course thing, and different paths through the woods for team-building or hiking. Great options and great, friendly staff. There's also a lot of other lodging options and other spots to dine, but our kids didn't spend their time there. I guess three camps could occur at the same time. It's just a summer camp spot, but it's a great spot. I'm looking forward to next year!

Everything kids need spiritual encouragement, friendships Horses, wonderful counselors, and…read moreexcellent speakers

Great place. Clean and nice facilities. Good food and amenities. 2 complaints. 1 the fire pit is…read moretoo small. It would be easier if it was built in ground. 2- for rope climbing there was 1 training session and if you missed it you couldn't climb. A bunch of kids were waiting for their turn and the counselors ignored them and just shut things down with no explanation until the adults asked what was going on. I thought that was rude and insensitive to the kids.