I want to love this place because the staff are incredible and it has the potential to be an incredible space. I've never seen so many queer affirming folx and people of color in a climbing gym and it is really lovely. However, it is abundantly clear that management cares more about profit than creating a welcoming environment or adhering to the values of climbing communities in general. The gym is dirty; the roof continues to leak even though they raised membership rates to repair it; the furniture is torn; repairs needed in the bathroom go unfixed; and the routes stay up for months--literally actual months. I've reached out to management and customer service about my concerns, as they proclaim to welcome feedback but they have blocked me from their instagram account AND have taken me off the communications listserv. Which is a really unfortunate way to handle criticism. But it is also telling. They don't want your feedback--they don't care about it. Now the staff are rightly trying to unionize and the Cliffs refused to recognize their union as of yesterday. I am not surprised by this refusal at all given the interactions I have had with upper management. I hope they will see this feedback and take it seriously. All the members I interact with feel similarly. We stay because it is conveniently located but also because the onsite staff make-up for all the mistakes the owner and upper management continue to make.

Fantastic climbing gym! Friendly and helpful staff. Super approachable and helpful introduction classes. The changing/bath rooms, equipment, and climbing walls are clean. There are a ton of beginner, intermediate, and advanced belay and bouldering courses to choose from and even some fun extras like a slack line and ping pong table. I also love that people bring their dogs to hang out. Highly recommend!

A wonderful gym. Great bouldering and top rope/lead. Showers and a regular gym. Nice staff. Really sticked up gear store. Better than most other gyms

This is a great climbing gym in the city. Finding parking can feel very taxing however once you do, you will be all set for some great fun. It’s a clean gym with many challenges available. The walls do become very packed with people, you will find yourself waiting on the next route from time to time. With that said it’s still definitely worth the visit. There is a large area upstairs for bouldering and slack line walking which is a lot of fun. Great vibe here.

The Cliffs was really cool. I normally climb at Movements went to Philly to try a different gym. They have autobelay which is cool and was a first for me. The bouldering uses V scale and the difficulty felt about the same as the gyms I normally climb. Definitely a fun gym and very friendly, clean and the community was welcoming.

Top notch climbing gym walking distance from center city. This gym offers autobelay, top rope, and bouldering. There is a great variety of routes and classes available as well. The gym has full lockers with showers & a classic strength / endurance training equipment.

Regrettably, despite the exhilarating climbing routes and well-maintained facilities, I cannot in good conscience recommend this gym due to its unethical labor practices. The management's decision to engage in union busting tarnishes the community spirit that should be at the core of any climbing gym. Workers deserve fair treatment and the right to advocate for their rights collectively. Until the management prioritizes ethical conduct and respects labor rights, climbers should consider supporting alternative gyms that uphold principles of fairness and dignity for all.

Best gym in the city. They do the little things right, like having all routes properly marked, carabiners unlock the same way, new routes are set every weekday, and everything is always very clean. I've loved progressing as a climber here.

This is a very welcoming climbing gym with something for every skill level. My home gym can get overwhelmed with kid birthday parties. The Cliffs have plenty of room for everyone. Looking forward to coming back.

Friendly staff and clean facility with an excellent gear shop. The gym also has a Tension and Moonboard, which are adjustable. Unfortunately, I found the setting to be underwhelming (for bouldering, maybe ropes are better). This may just be subjectivity and personal preference but a good majority of the climbs seemed very haphazard and not particularly well thought out. I think if you're just trying out climbing or going casually this place is fine, but if you're more serious about the sport then this is a pretty big detractor.

My wife and I met friends here for some Sunday morning climbing. Wow is this place massive! There are two areas to top rope on the first floor, as well as a lot of gym equipment and climbing specific training. The second floor has loads of room for bouldering and some bonuses like a slack line and ping pong table. Locker rooms are spacious. Membership costs $85/month and they have a new climber package that costs $114 and gets you a month of membership and two classes to get you started. The staff are great and happy to help you out.

Had my 6 year old take the intro kids class. The instructors were super patient, motivating and encouraging to the kids. they do warm up exercises. Parents can use the gym while their child is climbing. Cool place. Parking is difficult though.

Great space and nice staff BUT, they really need to work on their top rop route setting. Coming from other gyms the routes feel awkward and difficulty varies greatly depending on how tall you are. The routes didn't feel technically challenging, more just hard because they needed a lot of strength or you just needed to be tall. In other cases the routes were just frustrating or confusing rather than challenging in a rewarding way. This issue is definitely something that could be fixed with more thoughtful (or less rushed) routesetting, so hopefully things improve, at this point we only go to this gym because there is nothing else downtown.

Nice big and clean climbing gym. Two floors, with bouldering upstairs and ropes down. Seems to have a great community here too. Staff were great and attentive. Setting is top notch. Also locker room we're clean, with shower, plenty of lockers and sauna.

Cliffs is my new home gym after trying two others in other areas like Reach. I consistently find the bouldering problems at Cliffs to be more interesting and resultingly more difficult. I find the boulders at Cliffs probably about half a grade to a grade harder than Reach, so that's why I moved over. The bouldering area is also MUCH larger so there's more variety, which makes getting stale on a grade harder / take longer. With that said, I find Reach to be a "nicer" and cleaner and newer gym itself. So that's why I knocked a star off Cliffs. It's darker, older, more dated, and has less natural light than other gyms. The foam and walls also just naturally seem older. Also parking can be a major pain for Cliffs unless you know where to park. If Cliffs can make the bouldering area brighter and slightly nicer, I wouldn't hesitate to give it 5/5. I personally find that type of experience, especially with Cliffs being the most expensive of all the bouldering gyms, wouldn't be that unreasonable. I can't speak for lead climbing because I don't do them.

We attended an 8 year olds birthday and had a blast. Facility was huge, clean, colorful and bright. My 7 year old absolutely loved climbing the wall -- all the kids really enjoyed it. Definitely would recommend a party here but also looked like a great place to work out ans climb.

Went inside to try using a friend's free monthly guest pass. I spoke with the front desk to rent equipment and to go through the first time process. I was informed I would have to go through an orientation before I can start any climb and told me to wait off to the side. I waited over 10 minutes, before I walked up to the front desk and had to remind them I was waiting. After that the experience was good

People at the front are friendly and ready to be helpful in any way. This place is great for different levels of ability and have small placards to denote difficulty level at the base of each climb. I am a beginner and have found my own routine here for a workout that suits me. I am used to working out on my own so using the auto-belay is just what I need. This facility has a workout area with monkey bars, treadmills and a variety of other inclements which are perfect for the solo fitness enthusiast such as myself. There is a place for locking your mode of transportation in the vestibule whether it be a bicycle or kick scooter. The location is very close to Chinatown so after my workout it's just a hop, skip and a jump to find delicious food to nourish my tired, bedraggled body.

Very welcoming environment. There are affinity groups that meet regularly to climb together at the gym. It's a lot of fun and a great way to meet new people. They also offer classes and there is a gear shop, sauna, and a fitness center. Downstairs is top rope and auto-belay, upstairs is bouldering. It's a huge space. Only issue is that parking can be tough sometimes.

Extremely friendly staff, varied offerings. I was there mainly for bouldering, and this placing is grading a hard game!!! It is hands-down the hardest-graded bouldering place I have ever been to in North America so far. But humility is good, once in a while, right? Seemed much more reasonable on the regular walls. Merci beaucoup!

I've been climbing here for about a month. I started with the Learn to Climb package, which is kind of a trial membership for people like me who want to get started climbing but have little to no experience. It includes a belaying class and a month of climbing with free shoe and harness rentals. I'm thinking of becoming a member; it has been really fun to get into this and see myself improve and try more challenging routes.

Great place to rock climb in the city! Lots of options for beginners to experts and the staff is very friendly. Would highly recommend if you’re looking for something different to do or trying to pick up a new hobby!

Great place to meet people and hang out while getting a workout. The gym facilities leave something to be desired but that isn’t the focus so it’s understandable. A co-ed sauna would also be nice because I wish my partner and I could sauna together when we go. Friendly staff and very welcoming members. Expensive but you get what you pay for.

I’ve been climbing for years at various cliffs gyms and Cliffs Callowhill is great! Folks are friendly and there are lots of opportunities to get to know new people. It’s a diverse and inclusive atmosphere, with climbing meetups for folks of various intersections of identity! The route setting is great with lots of options for bouldering, top roping, and lead climbing.

Nice gym. I was visiting the area and checked it out. Had a variety of climbs and let me top rope for the first time with their auto belays. Meet some super nice people seems to be very community oriented which is how climbing should be. Spent most of my time upstairs bouldering. Nice grading. Gave me a challenge and work on different weaknesses with plenty of slab, overhang and vertical walls.

This place is great for all climbers. Beginning or advanced there’s something for everyone. The community of people there are always so friendly and upbeat! Only down side is parking is always a struggle! But hey that’s philly you live and learn.

I've been a member here for a few months and can say that this is definitely my favorite rock gym in the area.

I love it here! it’s so fun to climb by yourself or with friends. Con is that it’s a bit expensive - and they just raised their prices. The atmosphere is wonderful and also the people who work here and climb here are amazing. It’s a great community that goes beyond “just a climbing gym.” Sometimes you see kids after school climbing together, sometimes college kids, sometimes older adults. it’s a wonderful mix with such great energy. Lastly, for those who don’t know how to climb - it’s so fun to learn how! staff is helpful too if you have any questions. you’ll get one heck of a workout too!!

This is a magical adventure land! I haven’t been climbing for the better part of a decade so I’m a born again. The staff were very knowledgeable and welcoming. Fellow climbers are friendly, supportive, and even cheerleaders. The culture isn’t intrusive or mansplainy, simply encouraging. If it’s your first time climbing here make sure you do the online waiver and watch the video, it is informative/educational, to save you time when you arrive. Beware that muscles and tendons/ligaments that you don’t normally use will be sore and tender for a few days afterwards. Stretching before and afterwards will help. Enjoy the climb!

This place is huge! Staff is very friendly and helpful. There is a great gear shop and work-out area on the first floor. Lots of top-roping routes. Just a couple of auto-belays, there was a line when I visited on the weekend. The Bouldering area is on the second floor. There are soo many problems, you can spend a whole session just working on one side of the room. Only issue was that the bouldering area was hot, needed some air circulation.