Rock climbing gyms in and around L.A.

This swanky Touchstone gym (they own a smattering of high-end gyms across the West Coast) boasts fancy walls, a funky name and a reputation that precedes it. Touchstone has the largest full-time route-setting team in the country, and Cliffs of Id has a 10-week rotation on all its colorful (and colorfully named) walls. In addition to 10,000 square feet of bouldering terrain, the gym offers yoga and fitness classes, rope climbing, an exercise area with weights and machines, and showers, free towel service and saunas.

One-day adult pass $25; Shoe rental $4; Chalk $1

Monthly membership: $100 initiation fee, $79 per month, unlimited access to all Touchstone gyms

Yearly membership: No initiation fee, $869 per year, unlimited access to all Touchstone gyms

The Stronghold was the first ropes gym to open Downtown, to the delight of Eastside climbers. It's housed in the former Pabst Blue Ribbon factory at the Brewery Arts Complex (you can't miss the parking lot, marked by a giant Burning Man carousel horse), and is a truly no-frills experience. The walls aren't fancy, the setting is industrial and it gets mighty cold in the winter and steamy in the summer. But hardcore climbers don't mind, and the routes here are challenging and change often. There's a compact but impressive exercise loft, complete with a canvas-tented yoga space. The typical classes are on offer for both beginners and experts, as well as parties, demos and other fun events such as night climbing, during which the gym shutters the lights and lets members climb using headlamps only.

One-day adult pass $20; Shoe rental $4; Harness $3; Chalk $2

Monthly membership: $65 initiation fee, $79 per month

LA Boulders is a 12,000-square-foot climbing playground tucked into a back lot of the Arts District next to the LA Gun Club. There are no ropes or harnesses here—just bouldering and super padded floors—so if you're a nervous newbie, sign up for a class or do a little traversing (climbing horizontally along the bottom of the wall) to warm up. You can also break a sweat working out on the mezzanine level in classes focused on core strength, arm strength, butt strength, and four types of yoga. If climbing in the gym is just a stepping stone to getting outside, check out LAB's outdoor climbing clinics (with a free outdoor education and stewardship class thrown in).

One-day adult pass $25; Shoe rental $4; Chalk $1

Monthly membership: $100 initiation fee, $79 per month, unlimited access to all Touchstone gyms

Yearly membership: No initiation fee, $869 per year, unlimited access to all Touchstone gyms

Rockreation was established in 1993, making it one of L.A.'s oldest climbing gyms. You may feel it when you walk in—it's smaller than the city's newer gyms, with a small training area in front, a few exercise machines, and two walled areas for rope climbing. But the community of Westside climbers here is strong and goes way back. Classes are offered for new climbers, as well as yoga and fitness classes geared toward climber bodies. Rockreation also offers kids' camps, birthday parties, corporate outings and team building.

One-day adult pass $18; Shoe rental $5; Harness rental $4; Chalk $2 

Monthly membership: $100 initiation fee, $75 per month

Think of this as the Hollywood version of LAB. Slightly different clientele, same high-quality walls and flooring, and more than 10,000 square feet of routes. Here you'll be greeted by more than 200 problems scattered across 16 vertical feet. When you're not climbing, you can also choose from a variety of fitness classes like intro to Muay Thai, barbell training, acroyoga and vinyasa yoga to improve movement, flexibility and overall strength. 

One-day adult pass $25; Shoe rental $4; Chalk $1

Monthly membership: $100 initiation fee, $79 per month, unlimited access to all Touchstone gyms

Yearly membership: No initiation fee, $869 per year, unlimited access to all Touchstone gyms

Hangar 18 has been serving South Bay climbers for years. It boasts more than 12,000 square feet of varied terrain, including bouldering areas, crack climbs and roped routes. Unfortunately (especially so now that more competitive gyms are opening up across the city), classes and other offerings are limited here compared to other L.A. area gyms, and Hangar 18 doesn't open until 10am, much to the chagrin of folks with jobs who rely on early morning climb time. But the prices are super low, and if you're a beginner who just wants to check out the scene, or have a kid who loves to scramble and has a birthday on the way, this is the gym for you.

One-day adult pass $18; Shoe rental $3; Harness $3 

Monthly membership: No initiation fee, $46 per month

Yearly membership: No initiation fee, $720 per year