It pains me to give them 5 stars because it's just going to get busier! However I love the variety of top rope climbs, good music, good cardio and weight gym... hell even the bathrooms are nice! I wish membership was a bit cheaper but it's an expensive business to run. read more

I'm terrified of heights, like seriously afraid but my wife isn't so she brought me along to try Earth Treks in Columbia, MD. The staff was very nice and helpful. We were checked-in quickly, got our shoes, and gathered where the class was going to begin. Our class instructors were very kind and took their time explaining everything - especially how to climb safely. At the end of the class, we had two free climbs and although it was terrifying, it was a lot of fun. The place itself was huge and there were a lot of people, but it wasn't too crowded. I have also tried the Crystal City location and prefer this one. Afraid or not, you should check it out. read more

I am no climber by any means and this is my first time going to a climbing gym but I was surprised by how cool it was especially considering it was located in yet another random Columbia office building. My daughter and I came here so that she could attend Friday Nite Rox. I have noticed that she is a pretty decent climber on the playground and wanted to see if that would translate well by actually doing some rock climbing. The program is $29.00 for non-members but provides 2.5 hours of a fun time for kids and free time for parents. My daughter had a blast and the instructors were great. Turns out she really is a good climber and made it to the top of a fairly high wall on her first try with no fear. She wants to go back again. And better yet, she slept like a log that night. This will be a great activity for her especially as we enter the cold of fall and winter. It is also a great opportunity to do something active as a family. They seem to offer a lot of classes and there is a gym on site as well. read more

A friend is visiting from out of town and is always looking for exciting things to try, so we decided to check this place out. I was really surprised by how spacious it was inside! We also got a good price on three climbs with the help of one of their instructors named Kirby. She was very friendly and helpful and after donning our gear and receiving a few basic instructions, off we went. Kirby was great - very encouraging and even let us go for an extra climb when we didn't make it very far on the second one. Had a great time and would recommend this place to anyone wanting to try indoor climbing! read more

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Earth Treks is a quality indoor rock climbing facility. But it is so much more than that. There is a great culture here. The staff is very supportive. Good people seem to congregate here. Over the years, I have done bouldering here, climbed the tall walls, and enrolled my children in the summer camp. Recently, I've started to visit on the weekends. Excellent place. read more

Disclaimer - I've been a gymnast, thrill-seeker, and athletic nut for years. Anything that challenges me to problem solve and use physical strength to do it is on the top of my list. If you're not a fan of heights, cramps in your forearms, or waking up the next day with muscle soreness throughout your entire body - Earth Treks may not be the place for you. Earth Treks is an indoor rock climbing gym that offers anyone the opportunity to climb, regardless of skill level. The facility is relatively small, though this has never been a problem for me on any of my trips here. The place is typically busy in the evening and on weekends, but I've never had a problem getting in 6 or 7 climbs while I'm there. The front of the gym is filled with climbing gear, tables, and a front desk. When you get there you have to sign a waiver and if you plan to belay at all - you must take the test before going back to climb (otherwise you can't until your next visit.) The employees are very nice and their enthusiasm for rock climbing is instantly apparent. Above this lobby area is a terrace that has shorter climbing routes for kids, which is nice and keeps them off the regular routes. Right behind the changing rooms and bathrooms are some elliptical machines and some grip and upper body training challenges (you'll know them when you see them). In the back of the gym are the other routes - the ceiling is 45 feet high and the difficulty ranges from 5.5 to 5.14. They've got areas for bouldering and lead climbing - some with overhangs and slopes and some without. The prices seem a bit high, but then again everything seems that way to me. A one-time visit will run you $16. If you're planning on going more than that, a month pass is $85 (not bad if you go 2 times a week). Bring a friend and get belay certified so that you don't have to go during their open climb hours. Worth heading to if you're athletic and up for a challenge. It's a great full body workout (even if you're already a "beast"). read more

The official largest rock climbing gym in USA, what are the odds it'd be in lil'ol Maryland (the Rockville location, but Columbia is pretty cool too). That's awesome! I love this place, I love climbing, I love their classes, and their awesome staff that know regulars by name!! Love their membership and free clinics!!! read more

Great for a family workout! I was introduced to rock climbing through a dude ranch. When we got back, I looked around for a place to continue climbing and found Earth Treks. My husband signed me up for the intro to climbing package and thus, set the family addiction into motion. Eight months later, we have a family membership, my daughter is on the recreational team and I have started climbing on a regular basis. All this is due to the friendly and helpful atmosphere at Earth Treks. The young staff is great - they always have a ready smile, they will correct a child's misbehavior firmly but gently. The routes may not have the most accurate grades but they're not too far off. In general, however, the indoor grades seem inflated over outdoor grades. As for complaints about children, they are not the only loud rude people who wander unaware of safety issues. I suggest going at times when the gym is uncrowded. read more

I've been attending all three gyms for the past 3 years. I really love Columbia mainly for its staff and the community. Staff: Some of the kindest employees of any company I have ever dealt with. They are very nurturing both in and outside of classes. They also go out of their way to remember you! This is probably one of the best aspects of this location. Community: Everyone there is always cheering for you! Everyone is so very helpful to help you complete your climbs. Not only that but they are very patient and have fantastic etiquette. Bouldering: Routes are changed every 3 weeks and set by many of their best climbers. Top Roping: These change fairly often and offer many different types of experiences (corners, aretes, hanging). Only compliant is that they tend to stack them on top of each other too often. Workout Room: Contains weights, benches, roman chairs, Olympic rings. For what you would expect out of a rock gym. It certainly exceeds those expectations. Safety: they change the ropes quite frequently! Even more, they change the lead climbing ropes at least every 4 weeks! Everyone there has to go through a safety test to make sure they know how to tie-in/climb properly. Classes: though they offer a few classes that are a bit pricey they do teach you many skills for indoor and outdoor climbing. On the plus side, they do have free classes for members. These Member clinics are great but often need a bit more thought. If you don't know, its not a big deal you can still bolder or take the inexpensive package which includes 2 classes and 15 days for 2 people. read more

Not a bad climbing gym, but it's crowded and there's people climbing the walls with street shoes... I also didn't like the top roping routes I tried. Not as fun as the ones at my old climbing gym. The bouldering area is good though and I like that they have regular gym equipment there too for people to work out. They're a bit expensive for the quality, but I like climbing and they're the only gym close to me... read more

After signing up for a couple classes with a group of friends, I can say I am a fan and can't wait to go back. We found a buy one, get one deals for climbing classes through one of the social coupon sites, so about 40 bucks bought us a couple intro-to-climbing classes and introduced us to the world of climbing gyms. We had a couple great instructors that were very good at showing us the basics. This place offers a lot of variety in terms of different climbs and even offers a small, free-weight gym for those not wanting to brave the walls on a given day. The only big problem I saw, as others have pointed out, is that it can get crowded at times. Even then though, this place seem very social and people are more than happy to offer you a spot in their rotation to climb. There is also a partner finding system for those days when you come by yourself and need someone to assist with your climbs. If you are looking for a change up in your average workout routine, a climbing gym is worth looking at, and Earth Treks is as good of a place to start as any. For less than 20 bucks you can buy a day pass to climb and a few more will get you a rental of anything you would need to rent for a full day of fun and exercise. Definitely not one to pass up! read more

Fun! I've been going to earth treks Columbia Ina be off for almost a year now. The staff here is very friendly! I like that they have a small actual work out gym with ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, weights, yoga balls, balance equipment, Etc. They have a decent bouldering and belaying walls. I've brought in quite a few friends with my free passes I've collected over the months and they've all really enjoyed it. This earth trek is also nice because they have fall pads/mats for the bouldering wall, which makes me feel a little better about falling. If it's your first time, they mask make sure to train you in how to knot and safely fall. They also have pretty cool classes available for members like core burning classes, cross training, specialized skills classes, options for a personal trainer, and other fun stuff. It's a good work out and it's nice for all ages and sizes :) read more

Movement - My friend bouldering her way to the top - Rock Climbing Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

Everyone in here is very kind and friendly. Gym itself is clean and well organized. The only reason why i am not leaving 5 stars is because i had one unpleasure experience with them. During the summer, I tried to have membership at here with brother but i ended up couldn't get it since they said siblings are not count as family. I have no problem with their policy, but the problem is i've been getting wrong information until the end of enrollment process from many different people. I ended up cancelled getting membership, but still go there once in a while w one day pass. I still like this place. It's a great gym. read more

This place is great. Everyone was super helpful. I felt welcome and secure from the time I walked in the door. It's huge with tons of bouldering. The shift manager even gave me a section of spare rope to practice my knots. I will definitely be back. read more

My husband and I attended the Intro to Climbing class today and our instructor was Daniil (the spelling may be way off on that). We had a great time. He was an informative and patient instructor, which was important for me since I was walking into this with a significant fear of heights. He really taught me to trust the equipment and within a few climbs, I was feeling so much more confident. I didn't make it all the way up the wall but I feel like what I did was an accomplishment and he was a major part of that. I highly recommend this location! read more

I was a member of this gym for a year and I absolutely loved it! I'm no longer a member due to having a million other things to do. But I'm thinking of grabbing the punch card so I can get back into climbing. This is mostly a climbing gym, but they also have treadmills and ellipticals for you to get your cardio in. The weight area is mainly geared towards climbers with lots of machines targeting the back, abs and shoulder strength. But none the less, it is a gym set up for fitness fun! If you are looking to improve your climbing skills, they have campus boards and rope set up to work on your forearms and grips. They must have HUNDREDS of top rope (requires a qualified belayer) and bouldering routes. LOVE IT! I'm experienced, but lacking technical skills. They do have classes you can sign up for, so I might sign up to improve. But I have to get my but in there first! Their shop is also really nice. It's a bit pricey but you will find everything here for outdoor, indoor and ice climbing. If you are a cheapo like me, I'd go down the road to REI to pick up your gear. *sigh* I miss climbing, I need to get back in there soon. read more

Great gym with friendly staff! I bought a membership here about a month ago now- not a fan that prices went up but I'm there enough to make it well worth my money. The gym is a bit more cramped than other gyms but it doesn't really matter when you're on the wall! It just means you have to watch where you step and might have to wait for your rope for a few minutes. The route setting has been really good so far, no routes where I'm completely perplexed as to what the setter was thinking! But their setting might be a bit easier than ET Timonium or a few other places. Can't wait to pass my lead cert and get on the lead walls! read more

I have been a memeber of this gym since December and absolutely love it. I never thought I would be into climbing, but it is extremely addictive. Some of those have complained that the routes are not difficult and to some extent I can agree (at least from bouldering). There are times where routes seem to be given ratings just based on the setter felt. There have been a few times where a V3 was easily a V0 or a V6 was pushing to a V6. Other than route ratings (you can use your own judgement after you climb enough) the gym is great. The employees are funny and clearly enjoy being there. It is often that you will be climbing side-by-side with them as they work. Everyone who climbs there is great at helping you out (if you want it) and working on problems with you. Some have mentioned that the gym is a little pricey, but it is the only gym I belong to and $50-60 a month is not terribly bad. There is a set of free weights, treadmills, ellipticals, rings and various other workout items that you can use. It is far from a full gym, but it is a great addition on top of the whole climbing space. read more

There are plenty of walls to climb, the bouldering wall wraps around the back and side (plenty of routes and room), and the staff is great. It looks like there is an upstairs area for climbing and either classes or parties. If you need gear, clothes (Prana!), or a snack, they have you covered. The prices are as expected and will run you about 20 dollars for a drop in (great date spot!). The place is located down a small road off the main drag, and apart of a bigger building. GPS is confusing, but you will end up turning down a road that won't look like the climbing gym. Also, if it's cold out, it will probably be cold inside. Layer up! :) read more

I've been to the Earth Treks in Timonium, Rockville, and Columbia and Columbia is definitely my favorite. It has a good variety, especially for a beginner like me who's tackling a lot of 5.7s and 5.8s. Could do without the massive birthday parties and kid's classes that spill out onto the regular level on weekends, but what are you gonna do. I guess I'm glad they're keeping active and not playing video games? Fellow climbers here are friendly and helpful. It's a bit hard to find so you'll want to use Google Maps (who doesn't get lost in Columbia, anyway?) There is one TINY little sign in the parking lot of the sandwich board persuasion. Though the place is always hopping so I guess that's not hurting them... read more

Was here for lead climbing and bouldering. Great facility especially because everything is new/newly remodeled. The staff is friendly and professional. Nice large and clean locker rooms. read more

On the pricey side of weekend activities but a great workout! The membership looks to be the best bet if you end up enjoying it! The offer everything from yoga classes, a gym, to of course the different rock walls. The have a part for bordering, parts for kids, a range of intermediate to advanced climbs with holds and grips being changed often. This gym is great fun! read more

This place was great I definitely don't think its pricey for what you get in return, we did the open climb which was 25$ per person with 3 free climbs! Each after was 5$. Which is honestly not a bad price unless you have great forearm strength and can climb for 4+ hours, at that point you may want to try a different route(take the classes or get a membership). Anyway the instructor we had was Jake he was very friendly, helpful, and informational! I will definitely return in the near future! read more

This review is for the new gym location. Its now one of the largest climbing gyms in the country. 100+ boulder problems and 100+ wall problems. read more

Great Climbing Gym. Combination of bouldering, lead climb, and top roping. Great variety of bouldering problems. Great customer services/coach team. My family goes there twice /week now~ read more

Good & frequently updated routes; poor customer service. The good: - The routes are frequently updated (new stuff almost every week) - The routes are diverse (dynamic, static, overhang, crimp-y wall stuff ...) - The walls and holds and mats are all, as far as I can tell, state-of-the-art - They use GriGris for top-roping - The top-roping section is also large and interesting, with some cool cracking climbing and other stuff - They offer excellent courses on a variety of topics - There is also a built-in (small) gym for yoga, aerobics, and some weight lifting. The bad: I don't have general complaints other than that customer service isn't great. I can provide 2 examples. 1. I brought in my dad's old harness, and asked if it was safe to climb in or needed to be replaced. They looked at it, and said it was probably around 15 years old and would need to be replaced. I asked if they could hold on to it while I climbed and then after I was done we could talk about doing their trade-in program where you trade in an old harness and get a discount on a new one. I clearly communicated that I needed to talk to my dad first since it was his harness, and this was why I wanted to deal with the purchase after I was done climbing. When I finished climbing I called my dad and he said the harness had never been used and was stored in a cool, dry place, so it should be safe. I decided not to buy a new one. But when I went back to grab my harness, they had cut it with scissors so it would not be usable, under the false assumption I was trading it in. They should never do this before the transaction has been completed! What happened essentially is just deliberate property destruction! I complained, and they gave me an extra 10% off of a harness they sold - which is about $7 off a $70 purchase. I said they should give me a much bigger discount - selling it at the price they bought it for, so they would not make a profit, seemed fair to me since they had destroyed my harness without permission - and they refused. This left a very bad taste in my mouth. SO be careful when buying stuff here! 2. I went to this gym all summer, for months, and at the end of the summer I wanted to extend my membership just one more week before I left town. They refused to pro-rate my membership for a week and said I would have to pay effectively hundreds of dollars for one week if I wanted to climb regularly that last week. I think this inflexibility was unreasonable; I had spent hundreds of dollars on my membership all summer, my new climbing shoes, my new harness, and snacks, and it seems like a well-run business would recognize that and have the grace to be flexible and pro-rate my membership for that last week. In summary, the routes are awesome, and the gym is fancy, but the customer service sucks. read more

Happy to have found a climbing gym an easy drive away from me. Guess this is why I always bring my gear with me everywhere :) Let me preface this 3-star review by admitting that I live less than 10 min from Chris Sharma's Sender One. And have about four other rock gyms relatively near to my main base of operations. So my standards have been spoilt. In all fairness, given that there's little around the area for climbers, this gym get bonus points just for existing. I am just an average climber and do not do any serious training. I'm not sure how well this place could accomodate you if you are on a competition level. + Everyone was incredibly friendly. I love that. - No automatic belay and no buddy system for top-ropers who come alone. So you need to come prepared with a partner, or come just to boulder. - I felt like it was a bit crowded. I don't like walking under anyone climbing or brushing up near a belayer, but in some of the narrow areas, it can't be helped. - Opens CRAZY late. 12 in the afternoon??? Dang. I like to get my work out in the morning. + / - Actually a very nice selection of bouldering routes. Though I didn't see any traverse wall, hmmm. Also, most of the routes are much easier than graded. - No feature wall. - Small "locker room." It's more like a stall bathroom with a wall of lockers and a shower. Bring your own lock for the lockers as they don't have any to lend out. Very little counter space. No place to change that isn't in view of the swinging door o_O . Main point: get ready at home. + Very clean. No odd smell and not chalky. Obviously well ventilated. - No campus board. To Earth Treks: please get a real, official campus board. That is necessary. + Really great selection of clean and well maintained gym equipment, some clearly state-of-the-art machines. read more

Wow! Best climbing / bouldering / fitness gym ever! Coming from Hawaii, my husband and I were amazed by all the amenities. Plenty of bouldering routes and "terrain." Plenty of top-roping routes, including standalone shorter walls for intro / warm-up climbs. Couple of hand sanitizers near the bouldering areas. Spacious gym / workout area. Mats available for stretching. Programmable lockers in the restrooms - no need to bring your own locks. Dang! Wow! So glad my sister and her husband recommended this location, which is close to where they live. My husband I enjoy climbing and bouldering at this gym so much; we went 4 times in the less than 2 weeks we were in the area. We are looking forward to next year's visit! Until then! read more

Professional climbing place for serious, avid climbing fan. Membership pay is more than YMCA. It includes a small gym and some fitness classes. You can buy recommended climbing equipment and it is also a store of fitness apparrel and books about climbing. read more

Had an excellent time at this place! I love how they coach you while you're climbing and the little tips they give you after you've torn all your ligaments and blew your back out. :) Seriously though, It was my first time rock climbing ever and the level of patience they had with me and my inexperience was enough to get me to come back. Highly recommended! read more

This gym continues to go downhill. There seems to be no limits to the crowds of screaming children attending birthday parties or hormone-crazed climbing "team" members with iPhone glued to their ears. All of these kids lack any sense of climbing etiquette, generating potentially dangerous situations (but...but...I thought climbing indoors was SAFE!). Anyway, there's zero motivation for gym management to limit or even segregate the kids to one portion of the gym, resulting in a ChuckECheese atmosphere. If you're an adult, don't waste your time or money (as it's pretty darn expensive to go there on a regular basis...hey, the owner has to pay for his K2 expeditions somehow, right?). read more

I've only been climbing for a little while BUT take my advice and go to the gym in Timonium. Much more bouldering (translation men with shirts off, muscles glistening) and there's more space both on the wall or if you have to belay. Columbia has a weird cavey set up that makes me feel like I could yodel and hear it 10 minutes later. read more

I'm not a professional climber, but as an athlete I always enjoy an active challenge. My girlfriend brought me here for my birthday a few weeks back and it was such a pleasant experience! Mike was our instructor and we loved him! The staff is welcoming and helpful. It's about $62 for a couple who plans on renting shoes. You get 3 climbs and each climb after is $5. The better bet is to take the class to learn to baley, that way you can pay to climb by the hour. read more

Amazing service and attention to detail. Gwen spent over an hour with us to help us understand lead climbing better. Her commitment to customer service and safety is paramount! Thanks, Gwen! We were singing your praises all the way home and will always choose ET for lessons and outings. Huge fans from Baltimore! read more

This review is for someone who wants to seriously train. Since the renovation it's much bigger and better: the old problem of all boulder problems having huge holds but no feet has improved a bit, though most problems could still benefit from better foot placements in my opinion. Also, there are no steep overhangs in the boulder area like there used to be... kind of a serious oversight. Boulder grades are all over the place, mostly way featherbagged. Many V4's could should actually be V1s, for example. Consistency is important so you can guage how you're doing. The campus board is a pathetic joke. It's made with pieces of 2x4 or something. Get some metolius campus rungs, and this place would seriously offer top-notch training. There are a couple of hangboards and some olympic rings. The weight room has an olympic bar and a few kettlebells: awesome. Dumbells only up to 75 pounds though. Cracks: a lot of good ones in this gym. A couple of finger-to-ringlock-to-tight hands, a tight-hands to fingers, and even a heel-toe to leavitation to fist... pretty cool. read more

Great gym! A little bit close quarters, but has fun bouldering routes with varying difficulties. I only tried the bouldering, but hope to try top rope if I come back. The staff was very friendly! Would definitely recommend! read more

Here's the deal. The place is awesome for climbing. The atmosphere is great, and everyone is very nice. However... It can get overly crowded at certain times of the day, and it can get a bit hot and stuffy inside. The biggest downside to Earth Treks is their membership plan. You cannot cancel unless moving or medical reason. There should be some kind of penalty fee or anything that would allow someone to get out of the contract. I really enjoyed the place while I went, but once circumstances arose that did not allow me to climb any longer I could not cancel at all! They had no pity and were of the "Well, too bad" mindsight. I hate contracts of all kinds and it pains me that now I must go through loopholes to get out of this membership. My suggestion to management - Either start using a cancellation fee of some kind or allow people to just pay month to month. You would have far many members and much happier ones at that. read more

Yesterday I decided to bring my date to Earth Treks Columbia and we took the Intro to Climbing class. Two hours long and taught us knot tying, belaying and climbing. Our two instructors were both named Brandon and were very knowledgeable and friendly. A highly recommendable experience. We had a blast and are looking to go back again real soon to apply what we already learned. read more

I am a beginning rock climber, so my high rating my be due to the fact that I've never been to another climbing gym (much less outdoors) and I'm still feeling the adrenaline rush from doing something new that's SO MUCH FUN! The staff is as pleasant and kind as can be, but yes it is expensive. My entire family is now signed up, including my little sister at the Timonium gym, and getting on their family plan was a hassle. (we didn't share a bank account, we didn't share an address, etc.) BUT if you can get the family plan it is a GREAT deal - $47.50 each for the first two people and only 10 bucks after that. With a big family like ours, our membership now costs less than Bally's. A single membership is around $65 per month I think, wow expensive. Another good thing though is their introductory package, which you can get a two-for-one deal on, and includes two climbing classes and a 15-day pass. So about the rock wall, it has recently doubled in size with a ton of bouldering space. It really is a great space now, and the routes have been updated and are more challenging. It seems to be gaining popularity and it does get crowded, but mostly on Tuesday for the climbing team and Sunday for open climb. A great mix of age groups and skill levels. Another awesome thing is all of the classes they offer. Sport Lead Climbing, Advanced Climbing, Outdoor Climbing, even a class just for women, strength building... Some clinics are free for members and the rest are discounted. Most classes are reasonable, but be prepared to shell out some bucks for outdoor climbing classes. read more

This was my first time doing indoor rock climbing and I loved it. I purchased the deal from LivingSocial for the Intro to Rock Climbing Class...the trainers were great and they were even very accomdating for my friends and I late arrival. I will definately be going back to pass my Belay certification and to take Rock Climbing Movement classes. And I really look forward to there outdoor events. read more