Higher Ground Rock Climbing Centre

Higher Ground has such a welcoming, laid-back vibe that makes it easy to feel at home, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced climber. The setting is creative and challenging, and the space is always clean and well-kept. What really sets this gym apart, though, is the people — especially the owner, Paulie. He’s incredibly kind, down-to-earth, and clearly passionate about building a community around climbing. You can tell he puts his heart into the gym, and it shows in everything from the route quality to how friendly the staff and climbers are. If you're in the area and looking for a gym that feels more like a community than a business, this is the spot. Can’t recommend it enough.

We came as first group of 3, and Paulie taught us the basics. He really made our experience worth it! His instruction was very intuitive and he made sure to teach us the purpose of all the steps we’re doing so we understand their importance and what they do. But, once we knew the basics, we were able to independently explore the gym at our own pace. Paulie was great and we enjoyed our time at Higher Ground!

Great bouldering and top rope climbing gym. Went with our son and Paulie was very friendly and knowledgeable. Took the time and patience to teach us how to belay so that we could belay for our son. Paulie was very attentive to detail and safety, and was also supportive and encouraging. I might actually climb when we go back. 🧗

Easily my favorite climbing gym ever! Paulie is the sweetest human I’ve ever met, and the other staff are always so unbelievably pleasant. Great routes, great community, and great pricing. How can you go wrong?

Loved it so much!! Paulie was soo nice, awesome staff, very friendly, totally recommend for beginners. I would bring a friend for a bigger variety of courses, over all experience was amazing!!!

Was a wonderful little rock gym. Paulie was super kind and greeting. He was more than happy to get us setup as first time visitors. The walls are a good mix of easy and difficult. Fun transitions to try. Little smaller than expected, but loads of fun all the same.

Place was super fun we had never done rock climbing before! Only thing I would recommend to staff.we pointed out we had not done it before and person working never came out to check on us.otherwise it would have been 5 stars!!

It was my first time here! I loved it. It had been yearsss since I’ve gone rock climbing of any kind. Emily (staff) was helpful and super friendly. I went with a few kiddos and they absolutely loved it! We will be back to practice! I highly recommend Higher Ground.

This was a great climbing experience! Great teaching from staff and felt safe! Super fun and multiple route options.

As someone who has always loved rock climbing, it is so refreshing to have a wonderful gym with easy access for all your rock climbing and bouldering needs! It is affordable, has great service, and is a choose your own adventure type of gym. We highly recommend the punch pass option to save some money!

Paulie always makes you feel at home climbing here! Route setting is stout and makes creative use of the small space. Wonderful old school environment to meet other climbers

I've never rock climbed before this and it was a wonderful first experience. The customer service was extremely friendly and informative. Personally I have trouble following long explanations and when I started getting confused he was totally professional and patient when explaining everything to a beginner like me. I would definitely come again prices are fair and a fun experience for people new to rock climbing.

Nice employee. Helpful. The facility has 3 separate room. 2/3 rooms were bouldering. Felt enclosed/small. Ok lighting. Had ground rope for belaying. No auto belaying. The equipment worked well. When I jumped down from bouldering one of my feet got caught in between the mat.

We've been coming here for a couple of months and are very impressed with the knowledgeable staff. Don't let the laid-back feel fool you. These guys know their business and want to help you improve your rock climbing game. There's no judgment on your skill. This is a very friendly place where doing your best is the name of the game. They provide rentals and a reasonable price, to climb, will coach you to the next level of success, and make sure you feel welcome. Not only is the staff helpful and courteous, they will also make accommodations for you and/or your kiddo. Give them a call and/or some notice and they will do whatever they can. If you (or your child) are looking for a new experience, come with an open mind and experience this great place. If you're experienced, that's great because they have challenges for all levels. You won't be disappointed!

Michael is the best guy ever. After climbing at his sister location "Inside Moves" in Byron Center I was having a lot of trouble with one of my climb shoes. It was too tight and painful. Michael modified my shoe with no hassle and made me able to climb again comfortably after 5 minutes. I am from Colorado and a few places told me to kick rocks when I asked about shoe modification. He happily helped me and got me back to climbing so fast and was so darn friendly while he helped me. SUPPORT LOCAL GYMS LIKE THIS ONE. THIS IS WHAT CLIMBING IS ALL ABOUT. SHARING THE LOVE OF THE SPORT WITH A HAPPY HEART. P.S. Shoutout to Rachel at "Inside Moves" for helping me belay and being so friendly to a climber from a different state. SUPPORT THIS GYM. THEY ARE THE CHEAPEST IN THE USA AND THEY ARE SO WILLING TO HELP.

I finally decided to try rock climbing after living in GR for five years! I've heard great things about Higher Ground, but I needed to experience it myself. When I walked in, Paulie immediately greeted my husband and I. After checking out the indoor "shop" which features lots of climbing gear to purchase (from chalk bags to shoes, to harnesses and much more), I was instructed on how to put on a harness, and given the correct size shoes to rent! Don't worry if you don't own the gear to climb! Higher Ground has three rooms with lots to climb, and never ending routes. Since it was my first time, Paulie gave me great detail oriented instructions so I was safe and comfortable. Once he showed me how to connect the automatic rope to your harness, I was excited to climb! After the first auto rope, he showed me how to belay so my husband and I could climb many other routes. After quite a few climbs, we decided to try some bouldering in the other rooms. It was fun to challenge myself on something I've never done before. I will without a doubt be returning sooner than later! I also was asking about the routes, which are different colors and very easy to follow, Paulie told me he changes them up so those that frequent the gym aren't bored with the same routes. Higher Ground is also a family oriented business, local to Grand Rapids. I can't wait to climb again!

I was coming through town and was excited to find this climb gym. I end up in a lot of different towns and have had a fair share of pleasant surprises and disappointing climbing gyms. Paulie was helpful & quick to get me acquainted to the space. I could tell from talking to him he is passionate about his shop and climbing in general. I picked up a few items at the equipment desk. Since I was traveling I hadn't planned on going climbing but was able to rent equipment. The place has been around for decades and is family owned which are bonuses to a great climbing gym. There are plenty of routes for belaying or bouldering and I can't wait to stop back in next time I travel through town! Thank you! Two thumbs up! https://www.instagram.com/p/BE1-bwkB9kq/

Loved it, very fun and customer service was great. It was our first time and they helped us learn everything we needed to know. Definitely going again.

A hidden gem in Grand Rapids. Higher Grounds offers TONS of bouldering along with a range of climbing routes. Their set up is more conducive to bouldering due to height limitations, but they have a range of climbing routes that are about 25 feet tall and two bouldering rooms. Their pro shop is well stocked and they also offer custom shoe fitting/footbeds. The staff was really friendly and knowledgeable. We talked shop for a few and Paulie gave me some specific outdoor routes/problems to check out in Southern Illinois. I visited in the summer, so I can't speak to the ice wall, but I've heard it's worth checking out.

I've been climbing here for five years now, and I always have a good day when I show up to climb.The community is great, and the location is perfect!! The routes sometimes are missing tape, but its easy to figure out where the routes go, either by looking at the hold color, or just asking someone. The gym has been around for 20 years, and they are constantly improving the gym and trying to improve what is already a great experience. Another great aspect of Higher Ground is the location. You can easily walk to numerous restaurants (that have good food and beer selections), and the area is growing!!

First timer. Staff is helpful, friendly. Variety of climbers from novice to experienced. Will be back.

This place is wonderful! Frank and Paulie are extremely knowledgable, professional, and warm--a real pleasure to interact with. They did a great job fitting me for shoes and harness, both of which they let me try out on the walls before buying. The routes are many, varied, and entertaining, and it looks like they change them regularly. As a novice (though eager!) climber, I was entertained by the diverse range of holds and wall trajectories/structures appropriate to my level. I wish is that there were more challenging routes on the auto-belays, and that they had more day-time hours. As an out-of-towner the evening hours make it hard for me to come other than on weekends. If I could, I would be here every day!

Amazing all around. A small space compared to most climbing gyms but they have done an amazing job creating a number of unique features and routes to keep climbers on their toes. Staff was so friendly and helpful, best service I have ever had at a climbing gym.

The staff is great! We have been coming once a week and are all mostly new to bouldering. Everyone there is down to earth and never makes us feel inadequate because we are new. They have been great and very willing to share technique and tricks with beginners. Even the other climbers have been friendly and helpful. It's a great community atmosphere of down to earth climbers. I'll never go back to a regular gym again.

Best rock climbing ever. Very fun and the people that work there are very helpful and nice.

My husband and I went for our first climbing experience. The instructor was so helpful and fun. We had an awesome time! We will be back!

Not impressed. I came in from way out of town for work. Figured I would sample the local gyms like I always do. The web site said it was $11. To climb . I handed my card to the worker, he ran it than gave it to me. The cost was $16. When I enquired he stated its a one time insurance fee of $5.00? Wow, never heard of such a thing. But the damage was done. As far as the climbing, it was sub par. Frequently I found out that tape was missing . I had to watch the locals to figure out what was on. They did not seem surprised when I said I had noticed the problem . The tape they use is 1/2 inch with a different color tracer. The base color depicts the grade. There is so much of the same base tape that it's just about impossible to follow a route without memorizing the route before hand. I won't be back.

Higher ground is overall a nice place to climb with nice staff and a good atmosphere. Its also very convent being right downtown. The only problem is that most of the harder routes are not update that often which is fine if you only go once or twice a week or are more of a novice climber.

Went in to higher ground over the holidays with family, and it was excellent. We were a group of beginners, and found the staff to be fantastic, clearly explaining all the safety gear/procedures, getting us going and encouraging some of the more reluctant members. There were also some groups of experienced climbers doing some impressive routes. So, there is something for all levels here.

I'm going to have to echo the other review about the missing tape. Using tiny little strips of duct tape to mark the routes is painfully difficult to see where you actually have to go. Using a color coded rating system is also somewhat strange as most bouldering walls use a V0, V1, etc type system. Many of the routes, I feel, are either over/under rated for the color they are given. Some routes didn't even feel complete. Crash pads could stand to be updated. I didn't have a chance to top rope at all, so I can't comment on that. Staff is very friendly and price is fair for what you are getting. If you are a more experienced climber, both outside and inside, I would expect a subpar experience that will at least calm the cravings before returning to a more proper climbing gym.

Came here for my buddy's bachelor party and had a great experience. The facilities were clean and the climbing was fun. Most importantly, Paulie was the man and completed our great experience at higher ground.