Similar to our experience at their newer location, boneyard boulders, this location also had excellent routes. We enjoyed the roof here quite a lot. And the top out section was very fun and unique. The routes are all very entertaining. read more

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My friend was attending a conference at UIUC and I decided to tag along and participate in the Boneyard Bouldering Cup when he's busy during the day on Saturday. This is a really nice bouldering only gym and the climbing community is very friendly. I didn't know anyone here and still had a lot of fun climbing and chatting with people. Congrats on hosting a great bouldering competition last weekend. read more

Urbana Boulders - On the night of the first boneyard bouldering cup - Climbing Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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Kind staff and a good all ages community, but the routesetting and overall gym upkeep is disappointing. I was surprised that most of the problems in the gym did not have a clearly marked start, finish, set date, and climbing grade. And as other reviewers have noted, the route-setting is inconsistent and confusing. The very few V0 and VB problems are easy for beginner climbers, but V1 and above become exponentially more difficult. I found myself getting pumped on V1's that resembled some of the trickier V3's at my home gym (First Ascent). Lastly, the walls at UB are painted with a very slick coating, making it tough to get any traction when smearing. Overall a frustrating experience. read more

I'm pretty new to bouldering and can only really approach V0-V1, so I sometimes get bored when I run out of new projects at my home gym's much smaller bouldering area. I was pretty excited to visit here, thinking that with a space this big, there would be tons of stuff for me to climb... turns out I was wrong. I think there were about 6 "yellow" and "green" (VB-V1 according to their grading system) problems in the entire place, and despite my relative inexperience, none of them were particularly challenging. I figured maybe they just grade softer than I'm used to, so I started trying the "blue" (V1-V2) problems... and got shut down HARD. I'm all for a challenge, but most of them were simply impossible due to the setters forgetting to include an extra foothold or two for people under 6'0", or because all the footchips had been rendered unusable by a slick coating of rubber. The few usable problems were unfortunately too difficult for me to even consider making into long term projects. Logistics are also not their strong suit... the problems are differentiated by hold color, but there are tons of similar-colored problems set right next to each other and even intersecting. A few of them even used close-but-not-quite-matching holds for a single route... like a yellow-and-gold problem that overlaps 90% with a separate orange problem, or a medium-green problem with a few light-green holds that also overlaps a lime-green problem. Why??? I wasted half my time just trying to figure out what I was supposed to be climbing on. It's a cool space, and I can see why this gym might be popular among more advanced climbers and parents of little kids, but they have a lot of work to do before I come back. read more

Waiver. You gotta fill it out. Next is shoes. In case you thought the torturing practice of footbinding was long gone, guess again. But snug shoes are a must. You get used to it. Your feet hurt less as your hands and arms kill. It was my first time and I was by myself. It didn't take long to feel comfortable in this space and do my thing, considering that there are mucho hombres. This is a great space. Needing to blow off steam? Come here. They give you an orientation as well as some helpful hints as you struggle to pull up your body. You climb and then you sit around. It's like lifting weights. It's a great place to do something with a group of friends. People are nice and like what they do. I'll be coming back, but right now I gotta go. My forearms kill and I still got a paper to type and driving to do. I spent $12 for an hour, but ten of that is for an all day pass and two was for shoe rentals. read more

Great fun for people of all ages, from those with no experience to the totally climbing inclined. It's $10 for a whole day pass and $2 for shoe rental (necessary) - which might sound cheap, but climbing takes its toll on forearms and fingers. With breaks, a realistic visit should be an hour or two... or more if you don't want to hold a pencil the next day. Still, the cost is cheap compared to your normal climbing gym, and well worth it. Climbing is all about determination and persistence, and Urbana Boulders really makes a perhaps difficult sport easier to get into. The difficulty/grading of each route is done with their own custom color system: yellows are the easiest, then greens are a little harder, then blue, pink, etc. This system feels easier than the usual V scale, and gives newer climbers motivation as they climb higher and higher up this rainbow. Speaking of colors - in older, bigger gyms, routes are laid with holds of all colors, with color coded tape to show people which holds are on. At UB, the space is small enough and new enough that every hold on each route is color coded. It's so great to be able to climb up without worrying if an unmarked hold should have had tape or not. It's also really great from the floor when I'm looking at different routes, since I can tell where people are going to be climbing without squinting at tape. UB's small size could be off-putting, and with good reason. It's often crowded on weekday nights, weekends, and just about any time you could imagine students having free time. As for the routes, each week the staff tear down a wall of holds and set up a bunch of new, creative ways to scramble up the wall. I love coming each week and trying out the new routes, or finally conquering a route that's about to be torn down. Urbana Boulders is a climber's dream. So much thought has gone into every aspect of the place to make it as appealing as possible. From the reasonable cost (even though they're the only gym in town) to the color coded routes to the beginner-friendly grading, UB caters to anybody interested in climbing and everybody who walks through their door. Basically: thank god there's finally a climbing place in town, and it's a great one. read more

I've visited Boulders about 5 times now and am becoming a fan. On my first visit I wasn't too happy to have been told they didn't have my shoe size AFTER I already paid for the entry and shoe rental. I had to make due with a size too small which were barely tolerable and I had to take them off between climbs because they were too painful. After a couple hours I was able to get the right size after someone else had returned their shoes. I've been to a few indoor climbing places and Urbana Boulders is, by far, the smallest one I've visited. I thought for sure I'd get bored really quickly. I've since bought my own shoes and chalk bag, and I got a 10 punch pass for $80. After going about once a week I've found there seem to be some new routes every week, and I can still work on some older routes that I couldn't do the week or two before (and usually still can't, but I try!). In fact, I'm never bored and as long as they keep changing up the routes I don't think I ever will be. I hear they're adding more climbing walls right now as well. I've shown up by myself more than once and found everyone there to be very friendly and was able to meet people and talk about how to solve routes. The employees also seem enthusiastic and are happy to make suggestions on bouldering problems. I haven't gotten the feeling that inexperienced climbers (I count myself as one) aren't welcome. While I'm not running out of difficult problems to work, I do wish there was more 'warm up' material, meaning things that are reasonably difficult to climb but not perplexing. I also wish that there was a better pricing scheme. A fixed price for any length of visit at any time or day isn't very sustainable. To me the yearly and monthly rates are a bit high and if you consider leaving town, getting busy, getting injured, etc... it's just not worth the risk. If they had a 20+ visit pass better priced I'd go for that. If they had some way to make it cheaper during non-peak hours, and/or for shorter visits, that would also encourage people to visit more frequently. read more

Eh... if you really need a climbing fix, this could do it. I was traveling through the area racing bikes in Mohamet. My daughter needed to climb. We didn't stay very long. read more

Great place to hang out for a few hours in the evening. They have routes of a whole range of difficulties and change some of them each week. The place has a really friendly atmosphere and it's nice to work with others to find out the best way of tackling a challenging wall. Shoes and chalk rental are very reasonably priced. read more

Urbana Boulders - Climbing Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

If your in the area and need/like to climb, this is the place to do it for sure. Open daily 10-10 they rent shoes & chalk bag, all at a fair price. As for fun, these guys know how to do it. Though all ages climb here there truely is enough for the experienced climbers to challenge. This is set for bouldering fun. No harnesses are needed. Like Wall Drug, they have Free Water! read more

Urbana Boulders - Every time I come here it leaves me stoked. Great problems and lots of fun- keeping me hooked on bouldering! - Climbing Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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I am a longtime climber and have been to many gyms all over the country. Admittedly, I prefer roped climbing to bouldering, however this place does a killer job. I started climbing here about a year ago. The problems change frequently and are always creative and fun. The space they have is used well to provide a variety of climbing environments. You can tell that there is a concerted effort to continually improve the facilities to provide the best climbing/fitness experience possible. There is a great community of climbers and the vibe is always positive. As with any climbing gym, they host a lot of kids birthday parties, cub scouts groups, etc. UB does a great job of keeping everyone happy and safe and not letting screaming kids ruin the gym for regulars and members. Thank the lord for Urbana Boulders, without it I would surely have gone insane by now. read more

Great concept in Urbana-- kids loved it. They provide shoes, and you don't need harnesses like other rock climbing places. Great way to kill a couple of hours when it's cold outside! read more

Fun route setting, nice staff, neat gym, reasonable price compared to other climbing gyms. Don't let the small building size fool you; there's plenty to keep you occupied for repeated visits, and the routes change weekly. read more

Friendly small bouldering gym. They make great use of the space they have, and attract regulars at every skill level. We have been going here enthusiastically about 2-3 times a week for over a year and are never bored. CONTRARY TO OLDER REVIEWS, I think they are much more realistic and consistent now about rating the climbs (though they're still relatively tough, e.g., I have yet to finish a route rated V4 here). The only thing preventing me from giving 5 stars is poor labeling. Some routes have no rating indication, the tape that indicates the start hold often comes off, and I do wish they'd post information about which routes are due to come down when. This very last part I can overlook, as I know they work on kind of a shoestring budget and it's not super important. Cleanliness is pretty good; the floor padding is pretty worn out in places but not "too shabby". Please come to this place and spend your money here so they can flourish! read more

This place always leaves me frustrated. Clearly it's run by very nice, well-meaning people, but the routesetting is routinely terrible and puts way too much emphasis on brute upper body strength, even for V1 routes. For some reason the walls are painted with latex paint, which is as slippery as linoleum. A lot of gyms I've been to have either bare wood or cover their walls with something grippy--I've never been to a gym that seems intent on preventing climbers from smearing effectively. Climbing grades are inconsistent, and in the couple years I've been going there they've changed their grading scheme at least three times. Most of the better gyms also have notes on who set the route, which Urbana Boulders does not do. Problems stay up for over a month, and the holds seem under-washed as a result. read more

Nice option for something different to do. There are a few options for very basic climbers. Kids had a great time trying something new.

Came here twice when I was on vacation. Great gym with pretty fun routes. There's plenty of routes ranging from beginners to advance, so you will never get bored. Staff and the people here were super friendly. I will be back when I'm in the area again. read more

The kids loved this place - something different to do in town. My youngest child thrived finding her way up different climbing routes. She was very proud of herself reaching the top. The facility is on the small side. To bring a family for a couple of hours is pricey. read more

I started going to UB shortly after it opened and I love the place! The staff and other climbers are always super nice and willing to help you out when you're trying to complete a problem. They're also all very encouraging and UB offers a lot of classes to help you advance as well. They have a little workout area, yoga and pingpong/ foosball too so if you need a break from climbing there's always something to do. Usually there's a good mix of problem levels too, so there's something for those new to climbing as well as for the more experienced climbers and everyone in between. Definitely a great addition to Champaign, Urbana read more

Killer routes, great staff, great workout. The patrons are friendly and willing to help figure out how to tackle a route, so don't be scared to ask around! read more