We booked an Intro to Sport class on 11/23/19, and were led by Alex. The whole experience was wonderful! We made reservations over the phone with Kelsey, and I got a call a couple of days later from Annie to confirm. Once we'd all decided that the Intro to Sport was the class for us, I mentioned to Annie that we would be staying the night before in Indian Cove Campground. Annie arranged for our guide, Alex, to meet us there! It doesn't get much more convenient than that. We showed up to meet Alex at the ranger station a few minutes early, and he was already there waiting for us. After introductions and signing the waiver, Alex led us to the spot where we would be climbing. We spent most of the course going over fundamentals - knots, gear, and techniques. This was EXACTLY what we had wanted! We had a few runs up and down a very easy route, which was perfect for learning new skills in a low-stress environment. My partner and I climb frequently in a gym and wanted a course that would enable us to go out into the big wide world and climb natural rocks, and this was it. In fact, we were able to go out on our own the next weekend and lead, top rope, belay, and rappel confidently. When we are ready to learn Trad, we will be back. read more

I was referred to Stone Adventures by a fellow guide service in the JT area after they were all booked up. The initial planning and correspondence with Annie and Aron in reserving the trip was seamless. I did a half-day family climbing trip with my 12 and 15 year old. We had some gym experience but nothing in the outdoors and this could not have a better outing. We met our guide Tamas, and a short drive later to an off-the-beaten-path part of the park, where it was just us and a perfect climbing wall to cut our teeth on. After some instruction on knots, harnesses and safety, we each took turns on 3 different routes. Tamas was a wealth of experience and knowledge. His encouragement and climbing techniques helped immensely as we navigated the wall. I was especially appreciative of his first responder skills in helping to recover my iPhone after I dropped it into the black abyss between some boulders. After topping out on the routes, we finished off the day by moving to another nearby location and climbing one last route. I highly recommend an experience with these guys as it is personal, professional and a great way to introduce the sport to a bunch of novices like us. read more

I went on a full-day Adventure Day with Stone Adventures and had a fantastic time. Just me and a guide which was perfect. Aron was my guide and really took the time to understand my experience, level of capability and level of fun and challenge I wanted that day. He has been guiding in JT for many years and knows all the routes well so he was able to pick some routes that were a good fit for me. We did a large morning climb on Mary Worth Buttress, had lunch and then a big afternoon climb at Cyclops rock. Both were awesome climbs, very different and very unique. The morning/lunch break/afternoon works well because at lunch your guide can assess you and you can asses yourself regarding how much of a challenge you want to take on in the afternoon, and from there select an afternoon route that is a perfect match. Aron has numerous highly recognized professional certifications in all aspects of climbing, guiding and safety. We had a leisurely pace and I was not rushed at all. Aron is a great guy, a great guide, and a great person to spend the day climbing with. Stone Adventures will be my first choice next time I am at JT. read more

I had a day to burn in L.A. Instead, I decided to drive out to Jtree at 6 a.m. to get out to the desert for that day. As I approached the park, I thought, it'd be dumb to come this far and not climb, and I really didn't want to just boulder, and I had no partner to climb with. So I called Stone Adventures, and they squeezed me in at the last minute. I climbed that day and still made it back to L.A. by 7 p.m. Annie made me feel safe to try harder stuff. She was kind, warm, and so encouraging. Aron was nearby, belaying a father and daughter. Both of these people have a lovely, easy-going, fun presence. Annie was completely prompt, thorough, and a good listener re. what I wanted to do and how she could make it happen.She patiently waited for me to retry the 5.10d crack over and again - that I never completed and was probably a bit out of my range - and celebrated with me when I finished a tough piece of slab. By the time I had to leave, I was already contemplating how soon I could get back to the park to climb again. I'm still thinking about it, a week later. Highly recommended! read more

My friends and I went to Joshua tree for a girls trip & to celebrate our friend getting engaged and decided to go rock climbing while we were there. We had a wide range of experience between climbing regularly in the gym to no experience climbing. Our guides Annie & Angeline were both AMAZING! They gave great instructions, were very supportive of each member and encouraged all of us to challenge ourselves as long as we felt comfortable. As a group, we all appreciated that they offered advice or optional help while we were climbing, but first let us try different moves and solutions to the wall on our own. We had so much fun climbing with them and as we grew more comfortable and confident, they offered us more challenging options that they felt we were capable of completing. They were both very knowledgeable and made the first time climbers and the more experienced climbers feel so comfortable and safe on the wall. We had a blast with both of our guides and as a group and I highly recommend Stone Adventures to anyone considering it! read more

Every year we take a group camping trip with 8-10 families to Joshua Tree. This year we decided to add rope climbing to our itinerary and the whole group is so happy to have found Stone Adventures. We had a total of 24 climbers ranging in age 4-50 with the majority of the group being kids in the 6-8 range. Stone Adventures came to our campsite within Indian Cove and escorted to an area of they park where they had 5 ropes set up for us. The morning was spent cheering each other on to the top! Stone Adventures' guides were incredibly professional, encouraging to both kids and adults, had ample gear for kids and adults, and you could tell they really loved what they were doing. We had a large group and they learned the kids' names and were coaching and cheering them on! They made our climbing excursion super easy and fun and the adults and kids enjoyed equally as much! It's safe to say that Stone Adventure's is going to be a highlight of our annual group pilgrimage to Joshua Tree going forward! read more

We had the wonderful experience of climbing in Joshua Tree in March with Aron from Stone Adventures. Our group of five did the Gym to Stone course which Aron suggested would suit our varying levels of experience. Aron is a very personable guide whose calm demeanour and obvious experience with beginners gives you the confidence to start climbing right away. He knows the park very well and is able to chose locations that give everyone in the group a chance to challenge themselves. Everyone went home tired and happy! Later in the week we did a day of guided climbing with Aron and practiced the skills we had learned. He took us to some special sites and really made sure we had a fantastic experience and improved our skills. Safety is of the utmost importance with Aron and he makes sure you have an awesome day of climbing! If you want to have a really great adventure and get to know the park, call Aron. I highly recommend this company! read more

I don't post many reviews but should you consider hiring a climbing guide please give Stone Adventures a call! Annie, Aron and Justin were all very wonderful. I spent one day climbing with Justin and another with Aron for day 1 of two day Self Rescue Course. Both of them have the heart of a teacher and were fun to be around. I spoke several times with Annie over the telephone and she was very helpful in scheduling the days as was well as rescheduling to accommodate my healing from a motorcycle mishap. Annie was a real sweetheart. I truly mean it that Annie, Aron and Justin are the kind of people I wouldn't mind giving a key to my house. If you're a first time climber, want to move your game from the gym to outdoors, ust want a refresher course or want to introduce your kids/grandkids to the sport you'll be thrilled with your experience with Stone Adventures. [Trad Climber since '92] read more

We had the BEST time with Stone Adventures. I bought a day of climbing as a Christmas present for my husband and there was great communication from Annie and Aron from the very beginning. They took care of everything, and all we had to do was show up. It was a pretty cold and windy day and our guide (Aron) obviously knew the park very well and did a great job adapting as needed. We had both done a bit of indoor climbing, and this was a great introduction to the world of outdoor. We had a LOT of questions and Aron was a great and patient teacher. He met us where our skill level was while still giving an opportunity for a challenge. We've gone on adventures all over the world, but this is certainly one of my best memories. Any skill level could have a great day of climbing with Stone Adventures. If you're thinking about it, don't wait any longer! read more

Can I give ten stars? We had so much fun with Stone Adventures! Our guide Greg, was such a positive person, made us laugh and feel very comfortable on the routes. We told him we wanted to learn more about outdoor climbing - setting anchors, trad, lead.. and he completely exceeded our expectations. He was super knowledgeable, and patient in explaining everything to us, and we learned SO much throughout the day. The routes we did were perfect, he did a great job of really assessing our abilities early on and then finding routes that were fun yet challenging. We honestly couldnt have asked for a better more personable guide. Felt like we were just spending the day with a friend (WAY more skilled than us - haha) which was awesome. Highly highly recommend. Thanks for everything! read more

We hired Stone Adventures for a 4-hour climbing course for my Girl Scout troop, primarily 8th graders. Our weekend in Joshua Tree turned out to be during the government shutdown. While we were considering whether we should go ahead with our planned camping trip or not, Aron, Alex, and Annie at Stone were all super helpful answering our questions and keeping us updated on the situation in the park. Excellent communication. In the end we went and our girls had a blast climbing. Our guides Alex and Yolan were friendly, easy to work with, and picked a great spot for the girls' climbing ability where they set up multiple lines, and they accommodated our request for a rappel line. So easy - they provide everything needed. Would highly recommend! Great price for scouts too! read more

I booked with Stone Adventures to try outdoor climbing, as my brother was coming to visit me from Georgia. We wanted to do something different as the landscape of California is drastically different from the South. We had a wonderful time with our guide Yolan, who was very helpful in teaching my brother and I, who were both first time climbers the ins and outs of the equipment and techniques. While climbing he helped to offer advice on where to hold onto and where to step. We hit a total of 4 different routes and 2 rappels. We could not have asked for a better experience. Yolan was extremely friendly, and knew an enormous amount about climbing history and the flora and fauna of Joshua Tree. You should turn to no one else for your climbing needs here in Joshua Tree. read more

Guided climbing with Stone Adventures was the highlight of my trip to Joshua Tree. I would definitely go again! Greg Petliski was an amazing guide - after a few quick warm up routes we headed out for some bigger climbs. By the end of my 6 hours I was exhausted, and thrilled! Greg was a wonderful coach and partner, so encouraging and positive. Knowing that he had my back allowed me to push past my perceived limits. He was knowledgeable about Joshua Tree's history, ecology, and interesting things to do in Joshua Tree. He tailored the day completely to my skill level, interest, and stamina. I am so glad that I took the opportunity to experience climbing in JT, and I'm grateful to Stone Adventures to making it possible! Thanks Stone Adventures, and Greg! read more

Rock climbing is definitely the thing to do in Joshua Tree and Stone Adventures is the team to climb with! My wife and I climbed the wall of 10,000 holds with Aaron as our guide and had a blast! Aaron is experienced and professional so although neither of us have much climbing experience, we both felt our safety was in good hands the entire time. The views were incredible and we both loved the challenge and thrill of climbing as Aaron guided us along the best approach paths and talked us through everystep whether it was climbing a 200 ft cliff or repelling down. One thing I really appreciated was that Aaron was able to tailor the experience to our skills and abilities so that even without a lot of experience we were able to have a fun climbing adventure! read more

I highly encourage you to book a nature walk with Annie, ( co-owner of Stone Adventures) in Joshua Tree. Most people go to Joshua Tree to climb, but not being a climber myself, I was glad to see I could experience the magic of the park through a nature walk. We spent a full day with Annie in early March. She was very knowledgable about the trails as well as the delicate ecosystem that supports the amazing flora and fauna. She took us to parts of the park that most hikers are not lucky enough to see. Annie was ever so concientious of our hiking abilities and set a pace that was easy to maintain. Don't hesitate to book a tour. Annie will provide outstanding service and you will have a great time. read more

We scheduled a half day morning climb in Joshua Tree, for our first ever climbing experience. Our guide, Annie, clearly took time customizing our adventure to meet our needs. We wanted to see parts of the park that we might not see otherwise during our stay, and she nailed it. Annie was professional, experienced and safety conscious. She quickly assessed our abilities and we had two nice rock face climbs mixed in with a great rock scramble and a chimney ascent. All aspects of this experience were five star; from the initial planning, ongoing communications, meeting spot details and execution. Annie is fantastic, and I would highly recommend this company to other climbers. read more

I sent my 22 year old son and his dad on a half day guided trip with Tomas for Christmas. They aren't experienced climbers but both are athletic and up for a challenge. They came back and said the trip was 'unreal'.. They felt totally safe but at the same time they said they were way out of their comfort zone and did things they could have never experienced without an amazing guide. It seemed tailored to their ability and interest and it has sparked continued interest in climbing and outdoor time. Stone adventures came recommended to us by the local indoor climbing gym and I'm so glad we chose them. The day was hassle free, super fun and incredibly beautiful. read more

Our family had an AWESOME climbing adventure with our first class guide Annie! From the beginning she was communicative and responsive to our interests. Joshua Tree can be crowded during Spring Break, but Annie took us to an excellent location that was scenic and private. The routes were a good match for our skills and we felt super challenged by the end of the day. My two girls, who are 9 and 13, came away feeling successful and more confident in themselves. My wife and I will definitely book again. I HIGHLY recommend Stone Adventures as they were very family friendly and delivered a great climbing experience for all of us. - John F La Crescenta, CA read more

Aron and Justin were incredible guides -- that perfect combination of super prepared and easygoing. They were encouraging, positive, kind, fun, and flexible. we had kids and adults of pretty varied ages and abilities and they handled all of us graciously and expertly. It was a chilly day, but they got us on a warm, sunny rock that served all of our purposes along with all the gear we needed. Would 100% call these guys again. For a first time, older climber, it was a perfect experience. Thanks you guys (and also for thinking of toilet paper during the gov't shutdown -- stone cold pros)! read more