I went out for a day of climbing with Devil's Lake Climbing Guides. The whole experience was a positive one. The owner Nick has an exceptionally organized reservation and invoice process that makes communication quite easy, and he is extremely quick to respond to any questions. Our guide Sarah was also quite exceptional in her knowledge and professionalism as well as being energetic and fun for a full day of climbing. I would recommend Devil's Lake Climbing Guides to my friends and colleagues for their service, safety, knowledge, & professionalism.

I'm the director of Chicago Adventure Therapy. We work with Devil's Lake Climbing Guides regularly because we trust their safety procedures and know we can count on excellent teaching. We've had only the very best experiences with every one of their guides. I believe 100% that they are the highest quality outfit in the area. We recently ran a trip with Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind. It was a climbing and paddling trip at Devil's Lake. We ran the paddling portion; we contracted with DLCG to run the climbing portion. Their values and philosophy aligned perfectly with ours, especially around questions of safety and of empowerment. They had kids from this summer camp, who are blind or have low vision, climbing and belaying, without compromising safety. The campers were elated. Devil's Lake Climbing Guides is just such a high quality outfitter! I recommend them wholeheartedly for anyone who wants to climb.

I've done two weekends with Devils Lake Climbing Guides. We did Anchors 1 the first weekend and then got rained out. They were great in making a makeup date work. We then took Anchors 2 and climbed for a day with Kevin. We've worked with Kevin both times and he's is a great guy and awesome teacher. He will answer any questions you have and make sure you are safe and learn. I can't say enough about this company and would recommend to anyone!

Nick was the instructor for my girlfriend I on our first time rappelling. It was an amazing time and Nick was super cool. Highly recommend!

My daughters (11 and 13) and I spent a great day (Anchors 1) with Nick at Devils Lake, we could not have had a better day or guide. Nick was able to tailor the activities of our day around our different skill and comfort levels. I can imagine that was no small task, but he did it without us even noticing. It was not until the day was over that I looked back and realized how he worked with us in individual directions. He was encouraging when comfort zones were being tested, and also able to see times when a figurative 'push' is what was needed. The three of us left that day with different successes, some maybe more than others, but all agreed without question we would turn right around and do it again. As soon as we can, we will be back on the rock with DLCG.

Six of us booked a guided climb with DLCG and our guides Carrie and Alex were amazing! They were very professional and knew the routes like the back of their hands. We are avid climbers looking for an outdoor climbing experience and I have to say Carrie, Alex and DLCG exceeded our expectations. I would book again in a heartbeat and HIGHLY recommend them to anyone looking for a fun outdoor climbing experience! Thank you DLCG’s!!

A huge thank you for making our scouting event amazing! Devil’s Lake Climbing Guides were great in setting up our climbing adventure. The guides were outstanding and focused on making sure each scout was confident in their abilities and had a positive experience. The guides’ passion and excitement made for an awesome day. From start to finish the climbing experience was first class.

Hello everyone; I wanted to send a note to say thank you to everyone for holding such a fantastic Wilderness First Responder (WFR) class! It was such a great experience at the Hoofbeat, the curriculum was well-structured, and the instructor was outstanding! Gary is such a knowledgeable instructor. Gary shared great experiences and challenged us to grow and learn. The family at Hoofbeat were so organized and made us feel like we were at home. The homemade meals and snacks were so awesome. If anyone would ask me, I would highly recommend the course, instructor and facility. Best wishes for continued success! Thanks again, William S.

Kyle and Alex were amazing guides. They did a great job of teaching and explaining the basics of bouldering. Kyle even taught me some secret techniques.

I attended as a spectator to chaperone a couple of Girl Scouts on this day trip for rock climbing at Devil's Lake. The hike & climb were an enjoyable challenge for the girls. The instructors did a great job encouraging all of the different personality types & skill sets represented in the group.

Took seven Girl Scouts rock climbing and the staff and training was too notch! We got what we paid for and the girls really enjoyed the day. Lots of climbing opportunities! It was a great day!

I took an Anchor 1 class with them. My instructor, Michal was such an awesome teacher. She was very patience with all of us. She took time answering some of my unusual questions (of course course related). I recommended everyone who want to start setting the top rope to take this class. So, you can do it in accurate and safe. I am looking forward to take Anchor 2 in Spring 2024. 🙂

I've taken two day trips with Devil's Lake Climbing Guides, both times guided by Nick. The first was a top rope anchors class, which covered the fundamentals of setting up safe, redundant (but not too redundant) anchors from the top of a climb. We covered safety, gear placement, equalization techniques - everything one needs to get a sense of how to go out to the Lake and have a good time rock climbing. The second course was in lead climbing, a more advanced and involved technique that is more directly applicable to my eventual goal of climbing in the mountains. Both classes were very personal and hands-on, with Nick there every step of the way, checking out placements, giving advice, constructive criticism, and encouragement, and adding humor. Nick's attention to detail, personality, unique perspective, and natural ability to teach all made for a great experience. He tailored both courses to my and my partner’s individual needs, strengths, and weaknesses, and directed the content towards our goals. We were both extremely pleased with our experiences with Devil’s Lake Climbing Guides, and we recommend them to anyone who wants to climb out at Devil’s Lake or learn outdoor climbing skills. I really have only good things to say.

A great organization!! I took a semi private Anchors 1 one class with an aquentance and could not have had a better experience(excluding misquittos). Dawson the instructor was knowledgeable and cool, he led us through an organized teaching of anchor theory/practice and then well beyond. I feel well versed and comfortable setting simple-complicated safe top ropes after just one organized info packed 8 hour day. I could not recommend Devils Lake Climbing Guides more, the price is a small percentage more than other outfitters in the area but the experience goes far beyond in value.

I just finished my third anchor building course with DLCG and cannot recommend them enough. If you want to learn how to set your own top rope anchors or learn how to trad climb, these are the guides you should use. The certified guides I’ve had the pleasure of working with are the real deal - from trad climbing in Devil’s Lake to big wall climbing in Yosemite, they have the experience to back up the certifications they’ve earned. If you’re interested in learning some new technical skills or want to learn climb for the first time, I highly recommend this guiding company.

Had an awesome time with the Devil's Lake Climbing Guides and Black Diamond this past weekend. Got to spend some time climbing on ropes that they set up and then had an informational lesson about using trad gear and setting anchors. Our large group was split up into smaller groups with close instruction from a guide. My guide, Dawson, worked with me and 2 other girls- first demonstrating how to place gear and set anchors. We then practiced ourselves and Dawson helped us identify what was good and bad about our placements/setups. He thoroughly answered any questions we had. Dawson was very knowledgeable and insightful from his own climbing experiences. The personal instruction was extremely beneficial as I was able to learn a lot in a few short hours. I also got to interact with our group's other guides throughout the day and they were all personable, fun people! Such a worthwhile experience for beginner to experienced climbers- hoping to take another course with Devil's Lake Climbing Guides in the future!

What a great day it was for climbing. I don’t have a lot of experience, but I have done some minor indoor climbing. Today we got to climb some pretty cool rock faces, and I feel that I built a lot of confidence in myself, and the equipment that was being used. All in all, it was a great opportunity to get some expert guides to let you have a real rock climbing experience, and to make sure safety is as solid as can be; I definitely felt safe the whole time. The equipment was very comfortable and of good professional quality. I can’t say enough positive things about the guides. They were knowledgeable and friendly, and they did not mind taking the time to answer the many questions we had. I HIGHLY recommend Devils Lake climbing guides. I can’t remember everyone’s names that helped us, but I believe one of the awesome guides name was Bridger. Something similar if not that. I apologize for being and with names, especially with not so common ones, but the memory will be long lasting. Thanks guides, for showing us an amazing time!

My daughter (7) and I spent a day climbing with Nick as our guide. It was an extremely positive experience for both of us. Nick was very organized and knowledgeable. He offered helpful instruction to assist us with our climbs and he made us feel comfortable and at ease. I highly recommend DLCG. We definitely want to climb with DLCG in the future!

I've taken a few courses with DLCG & all the instructors have been great. I highly recommend them.