Vertical Hold Rock Climbing Gym

San Diego, United States

4.9

Open now

22 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 858-586-7572
Website:
www.verticalhold.com
Address:
9580 Distribution Ave, San Diego, CA, 92121
at Miramar Rd
Miramar
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
By Appointment Only
No

Today

Today 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Open now
Local time (San Diego) 9:15 PM Thursday, June 19, 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Vertical Hold Indoor Rock Climbing Gym specializes in the best bouldering, top rope and lead climbing in San Diego. We have amazing birthday parties, kids camps, and expert instructors who will introduce you to rock climbing or take your skills to the next level. Whether looking for a new way to workout, a great date night, or a new home gym our welcoming staff will take great care of you.

Come and enjoy a revitalizing yoga class after a hard day at work, or learn how to start climbing outdoors in one of our beginner clinics. We have brand new auto-​belays to get a great workout in solo, and our members usually meet new friends in our great community of climbers. We also offer group and personal lessons for all levels of climbing. All kids are invited to be a part of our youth climbing teams!

History

Established in 1994.

After a decorated career in the US Navy, Dan Peterson brought indoor rock climbing to San Diego. With his own two hands and a whole lot of help from the amazing community that are climbers, Vertical Hold was born. Through expansions and major renovations over the years, we have stayed at the forefront of a sport that is always pushing the boundaries. The only aspect that has stayed the same is its ability to attract amazing staff, and the incredible members that call this San Diego institution a second home. We’ve grown world class climbers, connected husbands and wives, and brought health and fitness to thousands through fun. We are very excited to see new members come in and find where rock climbing will take them!

Meet the Business Owner

Ben Z.

Business Owner

Welcome to Vertical Hold! Rock climbing has given me a whole new dimension of excitement to exploring the world and all of it’s amazing destinations. I walked into Vertical Hold to get stronger for my trips outdoors, but the awesome community always drew me back.

Everyone here is very excited bring this experience to the rest of San Diego. Whether you’re looking to get fit, reach your next level of climbing, or just have a fun time, Vertical Hold is the perfect place for you.

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22 reviews of Vertical Hold Rock Climbing Gym

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Awsome gym with lots of good routes. It has a lot of fun bouldering and all workers the workers i have met have been great.
Place rating: 5
Vista, San Diego, CA
I’m not the biggest fan of heights. I can’t look down when I’m on a single story home or going up escalators. Going wall climbing wasn’t my idea and I went in with the intention of climbing 5 feet. My fear of heights stems from not being able to help myself if I fall.
We paid $ 30 for a full day (you can leave and come back), shoes, and Dorian was kind enough to do a rundown on safety with me. Learning everything with Dorian was a good way for me to relax… and stall from climbing the wall. I learned how to tie an appropriate knot by strangling an alien and poking him in the eye! Dorian showed me how to hold the rope when Taylor is scaling the tricky walls and how to catch him when he releases. After some more stalling it was my turn. I had the shakes and that moment of, «where’s the exit?». I however felt confident from my training with Dorian and knowing Taylor had the rope. I failed hard core and was like a drunk monkey my first climb. After a few more tries I started grasping it more. Literally. I was able to touch the top several times! I still couldn’t look down without freezing but I was getting comfortable with letting go and not worrying about slipping.
I appreciated coming to this climbing gym for my first time because everyone was so nice! Thank you Dorian for making me feel comfortable and letting me stall. I definitely will be back to explore more!
Place rating: 5
Mira Mesa, San Diego, CA
This place will definitely be on the top of my list of things to do.
My ENTIRE body was sore after just 1 day of climbing here.
I have only came here once and it was my first time doing anything like this, next time I come I will definitely bring my 9 year old brother.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
This gym is amazing! The staff is extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. I would recommend this place to anyone local or just visiting. They taught my wife and I how to use the ropes in 20 minutes and we climbed all night. Loved it so much we got a membership.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I have started climbing here with my colleagues. The place is very nice. They cover top roping, lead climbing, bouldering, and have other training facilities like campus board. As a beginner, I really like to the traverse wall to practice my basic skills. The staffs here are very nice and helpful. I think for most climbers, it is a great place. The major con might be lower walls, comparing to meas rim as wat I heard. But the membership in mesa rim is much more expensive comparing to vertical holds.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Came here with my wife to change things up with our workouts. The staff was extremely friendly and easy to talk to. The quick beginners lesson was easy to follow and we had a great time! There is a good mix of easy and more complex climbs. This is a great place to go for people who are completely new to climbing as well as the more experienced. I strongly recommend it!
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
Just had my first climb at Vertical Hold Rock Climbing. Sean was our belay instructor and he was very patient and soooo helpful. My husband and I had a great time. This is definitely much more enjoyable than going to a regular gym. I say give it a try. The bathroom is clean and comfortable with a shower and a few lockers. There are also a few weights to use but it’s not like a regular free weight gym. The only thing I wish they had was a sauna. Overall, I can’t see any reason to not give them 5 stars. Even the patrons were super helpful.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My friend and I came here on a Saturday night and got a lesson from Morgan, who was very friendly and welcoming. He gave us a quick and thorough lesson so we could start scaling the walls, since they were going to close within the hour. We had a lot of fun and got a great arm work out. Thank you so much for the great service Morgan! We will be back!
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Vertical Hold is a great rock climbing gym. They have great pricing for day rates and memberships. I’ve only tried bouldering at this location, but the routes are great. They have some V0/​V1 levels that are beginner friendly as well as ones that are very challenging. I love the boulder in the middle as once you reach the top, you can climb over the wall! VERY fun!
I think the warm-​up wall is such a great idea. It’s fun to go back and forth on this wall progressing through the levels. Would love to come back.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Best climbing gym in San Diego.
Tons of top rope/​lead climbs, and boulder problems. Rock climb styles are diverse and the set changes with good frequency. As a member, you have a bunch of weekly clinics and fitness/​yoga classes you can attend for free.
There’s a ton of community and soul in the gym and between the climbers. Way more so than some of the others nearby. Definitely my home gym forever.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
What an amazing first time rock climbing! The facility was super clean, the ten minute tutorial was perfectly done and informative, the gear was in good condition. We can’t wait to go again!!!
Place rating: 5
San Marcos, CA
Vertical hold is the best rock climbing gym I have ever been to. Primarily, I Boulder since I often come to the gym alone, but they do have a couple auto belay walls which I plan on using someday. For now, I’ll stick to my beloved V1s.
The staff here is so incredibly nice and encouraging. They made me feel very comfortable with the equipment. The community of climbers here is also great. Everyone is friendly and talented. I’m excited to finally be able to call myself a member here.
Place rating: 5
Escondido, CA
Vertical Hold is the best climbing gym I’ve been to in San Diego. It’s a bit pricier than the chain ones such as Solid Rock, but the extra wall options and the staff absolutely make it worth it.
Shoutout to Dorian who hooked it up with an incredible belay session on the house when we came with a Meetup group. He was very patient, knowledgeable, and fun to learn from.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I’ve been here 4 times now, and being a beginner I absolutely love how confident and helpful the staff is. The never hesitate to give tips or a quick lesson and explain things so clearly and easily. There are endless options for walls to climb on, great bouldering and a fantastic spot for kids parties! I always feel so comfortable there and really enjoy the workout!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
VH has everything you would want in a climbing gym. The staff is very friendly, the gym is clean, the problems are changed often, and the people are friendly. I have been coming here twice a week for the past few months and I have seen the same faces every time. The same people keep coming back because this is a top notch gym!
Some people say the gradings are a bit stiff for the problems, but they are accurate with regard to the other problems in the gym. There are plenty of vb/​v0 climbs with big jugs to get even the most green beginners into the action. There is also yoga/​fitness classes that come with admission if that is your thing.
The monthly membership plans are a great value especially when compared with other climbing gyms in SD (there is a reason I drive past 2 other gyms to come here).
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Fun climbing gym with reasonable prices. Get the 10 pass. It’s the best deal for climbers that plan to go less that twice a week. Parking can get busy, but you can park in the back area or on the street and walk in.
PROS
–Good vibes
–Friendly staff
–Safe and fun environment
–Friendly customers
–Frequently updates the climbs
–Yoga sessions
–Strength training wall
–Cheap rental equipment
–1 beginner level slack line available
–Free climb days if you buy harness or shoes form REI with receipt
CONS
–Smells like felt (pretty much all climbing gyms)
–No workout area
Place rating: 5
La Jolla, CA
Had a ton of fun here. Double date with my wife’s best friend (and her boyfriend). We didn’t get any special deal, which by looking at Unilocal,looks like they offer promos once in a while.
We opted for the day pass + lesson + equipment rental. The class was short and sweet (I can say I’m an expert at making figure 8 knots now haha). After the short class (also teaches you how to belay), onto climbing! It’s a lot harder than it looks. Works out your fingers way more than you think, as the things you grab onto (especially for the harder routes) are harder to grip. The easier routes like the 5.5’s have giant handles to grab onto so it’s easier :)
They also have a fun little rope ladder on one side to try. I was attempting some of the boulder climbing, but that is a lot more difficult for people who are just getting into it.
They also have a few automatic belay machines if you decide you want to come here without a friend to belay you, but rock climbing is more fun with a friend.
Either way, tons of fun. Might become a future hobby of mine!
Btw, I believe if you check in on Unilocal you get a free gatorade so don’t forget that.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I love this gym. I have been to other climbing gyms in SD and I like this the best. Does that mean it’s the best in SD? Maybe, depends on what you are looking for. The routes are always fun and they change them up often enough so there is always some new challenges (but not too often that you don’t get to enjoy them first).
The staff is incredibly fun and laid back. They always make the time to answer your questions and will sometimes also stop and chat with you. They care about making sure everyone is having fun in a safe environment. For me, they embody the environment of what a rock climbing gym should be (huge plus).
They renovated the gym earlier this year and it looks great! They added some cool stuff too (you should go explore and find it).
I might climb at other gyms every now and then but VH will always be my favorite! :D
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I came here for my birthday. Was looking at another place but this accommodated my party of about 20. Reserved a spot upstairs and have been hooked ever since.
Started with the belay lessons and moved my way to trying the bouldering which is addicting and challenging. The staff is nice and helpful and I ended up getting a 10pack pass since I’m sure I’ll be coming back again again.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I went here 3 years ago when I turned 30, that was my midlife crisis.
I did ok but I wasn’t able to conquer any of the crazy angled walls.
I been wanting to go back here for 3 years and finally went back yesterday. It kicked ass, hung out with 3 kick ass friends and stayed for like 6 hours. If you aren’t a rock climbing type and you’re a gym type but want to try something out of your element do your pull ups. Wide grips especially. Lat pull downs help too. Being a curl monkey and lifting for cosmetics so you can look good for Billys pool party wont help. I beast modded the walls this time around and it’s more fun when you do well and you feel cool being able to do the angled walls.
If you’re like 5 foot 3 105 pounds you’ll probably do well here. I noticed most people who kick ass at this are super petite and move around like little spiders. If you aren’t built that way just beast mode it!
If you Cross Fit you won’t do well rock climbing. You can’t half ass climbing to the top of a wall. Stick to Cross Fit.
5 Stars. because the guy who taught us how to tie the knots was patient with us. We’re dumb and it took us an hour to figure out how to tie the knots properly. If you get lessons you’ll learn all the safety stuff so you won’t die then you get to climb for the rest of the day.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I came here a few times and then became obsessed and bought a membership. I have never regretted it. I love this gym! Everyone is so amazing and friendly. The staff is great, the members are amazing! Also they always have some cool setup or something fun going on.
A great place to indoor rock climb whether you’re new or experienced. They have a lot of different problems for all skill levels. Although I do prefer bouldering here more than top roping. But top rope is always an option. But I feel VH is really a great bouldering gym!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Newbie here! Ive been here 3 times so far and I’m totally loving it. Tried bouldering and just learned how to belay. Belay lesson for first-​timers is $ 9 (worth it).
The staff are so nice and like people have said, they try to remember your name!
The atmosphere is really cool here too. The people who go here are nice and rock climbing in general seems to create a socially positive and encouraging environment. And also there are tons of fit people ;)
If you’re a student, definitely go on Mondays (after 3) for their student discount ($ 12 for day pass including gear). Super cheap.
You’ll definitely get a good full body work out in here.