New York City Climbing

Last Updated: Aug, 2026
722
Ascents
432
Boulders
Guide moderated by Andrew Redlawsk

ABOUT New York City

This digital New York City climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your New York City days smoother, safer, and more dialed.

New York City: center of the universe. Home to the most diverse people and foods and cultures on the planet, and to top it all off, it's even got boulders - over four hundred of which have been documented in this guide. There's so much history in these polished blocs of schist dating back more than half a century. When you climb here, you're following in the footsteps of giants: John Gill, Lynn Hill, Nick Falacci, Koma, Yuki, Kevin Jorgeson, Ashima Shiraishi, the list goes on and on. NYC Bouldering is hard, polished, sketchy, anything but peaceful, occasionally disgust... Show more
This digital New York City climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your New York City days smoother, safer, and more dialed. New York City: center of the universe. Home to the most diverse people and foods and cultures on the planet, and to top it all off, it's even got boulders - over four hundred of which have been documented in this guide. There's so much history in these polished blocs of schist dating back more than half a century. When you climb here, you're following in the footsteps of giants: John Gill, Lynn Hill, Nick Falacci, Koma, Yuki, Kevin Jorgeson, Ashima Shiraishi, the list goes on and on. NYC Bouldering is hard, polished, sketchy, anything but peaceful, occasionally disgusting, and to me, there's nothing else like it anywhere on earth. If you venture into Central Park on any given weekend when the weather is good, you'll see that the scene is still very much alive and thriving. Full of very specific eliminates, link ups, and contrivances, NYC bouldering is not for the purist, but if you can let go and just enjoy the movement, there's a plethora of great climbing to be had. Though it gets the most traffic, Central Park isn't all the city has to offer. Quality boulders can be found scattered in parks all across the island of Manhattan, from Lower Central Park all the way to 207th Street in Inwood. Some of the very best boulders in Manhattan get some of the least traffic, so it's worth hopping on the Subway and exploring them all! ETHICS - We are incredibly fortunate that the city of New York allows bouldering. Let's be great stewards of climbing and keep it that way! Be respectful and courteous of other park-goers at all times. - The rock is quite polished and frictionless in many places, so grades here may feel hard compared to what you're used to in the gym. Even so, absolutely no chipping or manufacturing of holds. Period. If you're not strong enough, get stronger! Don't let your ego ruin the climb forever. - Clean your shoes before pulling on! Dirt on shoes polishes down the rock. Please don't contribute to an already prevalent problem! - No Resin. Please only use good ole regular chalk. - Pack out your trash. Keep the boulders cleaner than you found them. - If you see any hold breakage, please use the Report Content feature in KAYA to let us know! HISTORY For a deep dive into the history of the bouldering in NYC, check out the incredible resource and walk down memory lane that is Nick Falacci's Beta Boy website: http://www.beta-boy.com/nycboulderingguide/index.html Before there were print guidebooks and climbing apps, there was Beta-Boy.com PRINT GUIDEBOOK The NYC Bouldering Guide by Gaz Leah is currently the only available print book for purchase. Head to https://stores.sharpendbooks.com/new-york-city-bouldering/ to purchase a copy. The best way to access the boulders in NYC is via the Subway. Even though carrying crashpads on a crowded Subway car is quite the ordeal, it's definitely worth the effort. Pro Tip: The Subway station emergency exit doors are your friend! All the Areas in this guide will tell you which trains are best to take in order to access them.

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Recent Ascents in New York City

KAYA CLIMBER
CLIMB
DETAILS
DATE
🖤
@C.Way
Rat Hole v0
(v0, Solid)
8.16.2026
🖤
@C.Way
Rat Hole v0
Fun mantel halfway up. Super fun.
★ 5(v0, Solid)
8.16.2026
🖤
@C.Way
The Horn v0
(v0, Solid)
8.16.2026
🖤
@C.Way
Small Wall Left v0
★ 5(v0, Solid)
8.16.2026
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Areas in New York City

Explore New York City from all levels with KAYA PRO. Drill down to the area, subarea, boulder and climb levels. Get approach information for each, and a variety of beta.
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