A national climbing gym chain is expanding to St. Paul after the success of its Minneapolis location.
Bouldering Project officially marks its entrance into the saintly city on Saturday when the doors open to its 36,000-square-foot bouldering facility in St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood.
The gym, located at 42 W. Water St., features over 10,000 square feet of custom bouldering terrain, fitness and yoga studios, a fully-equipped weight room and sauna.
For the uninitiated, “bouldering” is a type of rock climbing that involves short, intense climbs and crash pads instead of ropes or harnesses. In bouldering, climbs are usually referred to as “problems” and an emphasis is placed on problem-solving and technique.
Traditional rock climbing, which puts an emphasis on endurance, consists of longer climbs with ropes, harnesses and other safety gear.
Based in Seattle, Bouldering Project has 12 locations across Minnesota, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Arizona, Utah and Washington D.C.
The Minneapolis facility, located at 1433 West River Road N., was the company’s third-ever location when it opened in 2018. Today, the facility has over 4,000 members and regularly welcomes around 1,000 visitors a day, said Michael Cavazos, general manager of the St. Paul gym.
“The fact that the other gym is doing so well and has so many people coming to it on a regular basis, (they) wanted to be able to expand and support the entire Twin Cities,” Cavazos said.
Members of the Bouldering Project have access to all of their locations, Cavazos said. “I’m sure a lot of people, even if they live on the other side of town, will drive over here from time to time to have different wall angles and different climbs,” he said.
St. Paul gym
The Bouldering Project St. Paul, a climbing gym near Harriet Island Park in St. Paul Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. The climbing gym opens to the public on Nov. 15, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Located near Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul’s West Side, Bouldering Project St. Paul features several vertical, overhang and roof climbing structures that can be customized according to difficulty level.
The difficulty of the routes is noted by the hold colors with yellow being the easiest and mint being the most challenging, Cavazos said, adding that the routes change three times a week.
“We don’t repeat anything, it’s a creative experiment,” said Nic Oklobzija, Bouldering Project’s director of route setting.
“Climbing, unlike other sports, you can find your own way and choose your own adventure,” said Oklobzija, who resides in White Bear Lake. Whether you’re a casual climber or a professional, you can choose your own pace while maintaining that sense of adventure, he said.
Bouldering Project St. Paul also boasts two expansive Kumiki climbing walls, one for kilter and the other for tension.
Bouldering Project St. Paul, a climbing gym near Harriet Island Park, features a Kumiki Kilter board, left, and Tension board, as seen on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. The adjustable boards are used by climbers to practice strength and technique. The climbing gym opens to the public on Nov. 15, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Inspired by the Japanese concept of interlocking wood puzzles, the adjustable, pre-fabricated climbing walls are stuffed with handholds that light up according to a set route.
In addition to the main climbing apparatuses, the building also includes a kids climbing space with shorter walls, a heated yoga studio that can reach up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, co-working spaces, a co-ed sauna and a retail shop where climbers can buy shoes, chalk bags and crash pads.
The building, which was formerly used as warehouse space, required minimal renovations when the team signed the lease at the end of 2024, said Project Manager Danika Patten Jessen.
Construction on the building began in May for the few renovations the property did need like adding windows and extending the mezzanines, Patten Jessen said, adding, “This is the quickest it’s ever gone.”
Patten Jessen credits her team, general contractors and the building’s landlord for the quick timeline. An entity listed as “Buhl 42 LLC” bought the property for more than $3.2 million in May 2024, according to an electronic certificate of real estate value filed with the state.
Prior to that, the building was sold by 3M for $2.5 million in May 2020, according to records filed with the state.
Building community
Eliza Broan, a Bouldering Project forerunner who tests the routes, said what sets bouldering apart from other sports and forms of exercise is the communal aspect.
Yes, you are climbing alone, but bouldering is “collaborative by nature” as each climber is working “to solve a problem,” she said. Whether you’re 10 feet up and planning your next foothold or getting up after several failed attempts, there is no judgment, Broan said.
“I’ve never met more supportive people than rock climbers,” Broan said. “You can see the community it builds. It’s a safe space.”
Broan said she was first introduced to the sport of climbing 15 years ago at a birthday party in St. Paul. “It’s grown exponentially,” she said of the sport in recent years.
The Twin Cities metro area is home to several climbing gyms including the volunteer-run Minnesota Climbing Cooperative in northeast Minneapolis, Base Camp in Fort Snelling and perhaps Bouldering Project’s main competition: Vertical Endeavors.
Vertical Endeavors, which opened its first indoor climbing gym in St. Paul in 1992, has grown to five locations across the state including two in St. Paul and one each in Minneapolis, Bloomington and Duluth.
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Once the St. Paul gym is in the swing of things, Cavazos said they have plans to add more fitness and yoga classes based on the members’ feedback.
Bouldering Project also has plans to partner with community businesses, like nearby Bad Weather Brewing and Backstory Coffee Roasters, to host events in the area, Cavazos said.
Bouldering Project St. Paul
When: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Where: 42 W. Water St., St. Paul
Cost: $89/month for membership; $24 adult day pass
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