Climbing at Edgeworks in Seattle

Climbing at Edgeworks in Seattle (Formerly Stone Gardens)

Climbing at Edgeworks (formerly known as Stone Gardens) offers a unique experience for both beginners and seasoned climbers in the Seattle area. With its indoor facility, climbers can practice year-round, regardless of Seattle's unpredictable weather. This climbing gym is significant not just for its extensive routes, but also for fostering a strong community among climbing enthusiasts.

Adventure Guide To Climbing at Edgeworks

Location
Edgeworks is situated in Ballard, making it easily accessible from downtown Seattle. The gym features over 20,000 square feet of climbing surface, including both bouldering walls and top-rope routes.

What Makes It Special
The facility's unique wall designs cater to all skill levels. Beginners can find routes tailored to help them progress, while advanced climbers will appreciate the challenging overhangs and technical problems. The atmosphere is friendly and encouraging, with a focus on learning and safety.

Key Features and Amenities
Edgeworks boasts a large training area complete with weights and stretching equipment. The gym offers classes for all ages, from youth programs to adult clinics, ensuring that everyone can find something that suits their level. Additionally, the on-site café provides healthy snacks and energy-boosting drinks for climbers.

Local Insights

Seattle has a rich climbing culture, influenced by its proximity to natural locations such as Mount Rainier and the North Cascades. Edgeworks often hosts community events, competitions, and workshops. Climbers can also participate in the gym's mentorship program, connecting experienced climbers with novices.

Visitor Tips

Best Times to Visit: Weekdays during the early afternoon are generally less crowded.
What to Bring: Climbing shoes, a chalk bag, and a water bottle are essential. If you’re a beginner, the gym has rental shoes available.
Driving Directions: From downtown Seattle, take I-5 N, then continue onto I-99 N. Exit onto Leary Way NW; estimated travel time is about 15-20 minutes.

Whether seeking to perfect your skills or enjoy a thrilling day, climbing at Edgeworks is an experience you won’t want to miss.

Adventure Map

Seattle Info

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Reviews

Whitney Alexander2 months ago

I’ve been coming here for over a decade and it’s consistently my favorite bouldering gym in the greater Seattle metro area. The route setting is consistent and frequent enough to keep it interesting. The expansion to include a bigger work out room and the climbing boards are both big assets. I also appreciate the topography of the climbing walls in that there is a little bit everything, overhung, techy slab, and more. Keep up the good work!

Nora Suea week ago

I have been a member of this gym for a couple of months and most of the time I enjoy this gym. However, today I had an unpleasant encounter with Josh, one of the newer staff. There was this one long white V3 that I didn’t see the tag for its top, so I went to the front desk and ask where the top for that route was. Josh was the only one at the front desk. He first answered usually the top is the highest hold, and then he went to the route, but didn’t find the top. There was another climber nearby that pointed out it was actually a pretty long V3, kinda like a loop that one could start climbing from either way. And then Josh said to me: “Yeah, everybody knows that. I’ve only been here for a few weeks.” I found his response of “everybody knows that” very offensive. He didn’t know where the top was until another climber pointed out. And if he didn’t know, he could’ve asked another staff. I didn’t know what his intention was when he said “everybody knows that”, but if I bet plenty of beginner climbers won’t know. And if asking questions gets to be laughed at, then I doubt this space is a friendly one. The gym should train their staff better.

Elijah Davis2 months ago

I've probably been to close to 100 gyms and this is one of my favorites - I'm very lucky to be able to go regularly. The gym stays clean without feeling "corporate", the crowd and staff are always incredibly friendly, and most importantly, the setting is excellent! I understand that some folks consider the grading a little bit "stiff" compared to other gyms (aka a V3 here might be a V4 or V5 at another gym) but it's all relative and it certainly doesn't detract from the accessibility and intrigue of the entry-level climbs. There is something for every climber! Look for the sport routes set by Jess. They are THE BEST.

Kratos reag2 weeks ago

Ventilation is not good at all even when the gym is empty it always smells like chalk (Compared to bel-red edgeworks which is always clean even if crowded). Route grading is super inconsistent, I have seen people that can do V5/6 in this gym but they can’t do some V3/4 and I have never seen something like this happen in other gyms. This also makes the gym less beginner friendly. Overall it’s a good place to do some climbing but can improve a lot in many areas.

Lauraa month ago

EDIT - response to owner response: Yes, climbers have some responsibility to promote a safe climbing environment by adhering to rules. And maybe occasionally remind other climbers of etiquette. But we observed violations persistently, in all bouldering areas. The gym CANNOT expect a paying visitor to police the entire gym. Clearly, there's a bigger problem than a climber here or there that forgets the rules. The video orientation with a tablet and headphones is a bad system. The signage and handouts are ineffective. People are either not paying attention to them, or they're disregarding them. Also, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that the owner is using their response as an opportunity to promote their new gym and talk about how "thorough" their youth policy is. Thorough or not, it doesn't matter if parents don't follow it. -- There needs to be a staff member enforcing safety and etiquette rules. We visited on a busy Sunday afternoon. The boulder areas were extremely crowded, which would be tolerable if people followed the rules. There were parents letting their children climb boulders that clearly overlap with routes that other climbers are already doing. Then they spend 10-15 minutes blocking a good portion of the wall while they record their children climbing horizontally without even following the routes. This activity would be much better suited to a kids climbing area. It wasn't only children; there were adults and kids alike climbing right next to someone already on the wall. And sitting within the fall zone. The worst thing was that someone left a giant metal water bottle in the fall zone, and my partner fell onto it on their back. When a day pass costs $31, we expect better. Keep in mind, the gym is ~40% boulder, 40% top rope, 20% lead. Boulder seems way more popular. There were easily 4x the people bouldering compared to lead and top rope combined. I would consider returning just for top rope.