Upper Limits Climbing Gym in Bloomington, IL

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Telephone:	+1 309-829-8255
Website:	www.upperlimits.com
Address:	1304 W Washington St, Bloomington, IL, 61701
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	2.6 miAmtrak - Bloomington-Normal
Categories:	Gyms Yoga

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Good for Kids

Yes

Today

Today	10:00 am – 10:00 pm Closed now
Local time (Bloomington)	04:22 Saturday, 31 May 2025

Business hours

Monday	4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tuesday	12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Wednesday	4:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Thursday	10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday	12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday	10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday	10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Upper Limits has a total of more than 20,000 square feet of climbing surface making us one of the largest climbing gyms in North America. .

–110 ft. outdoor wall with toproped and leadable routes in the summer.

–Rappel 120 ft. off the top of the building with an elevator ride to the top.

–Massive multi-level bouldering cave and training area.

–At 30′ tall the main area, includes slab, cracks, and the wave wall.

–The silos are 65 ft. tall. Each silo contains eight or nine topropes and all routes are leadable.

–Facilities include showers, lockers, water fountain, pop and snack machines, Lounge, rest rooms, world-class pro shop, and complete gear rentals.

–Classes and programs are available for every age and type of group.

–All climbers must sign a waiver. Anyone under 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian.

–Outdoor bouldering area with more than 1,700 square feet of climbing

History

Established in 1995.

In January of 1994, Chris and Pam Schmick purchased Upper Limits in Peru, Illinois with the intention to move the gym to a larger location.

The couple spent all of their spare time writing a business proposal, doing market research and looking for a new location. After many disappointments, they finally came across the abandoned grain silos in Bloomington, Il. With a bank loan, their life savings, and another loan from Chris’ grandmother, Pam and Chris purchased the silos on contract from Starks Excavating and began the adventure of their lives.

Chris quit his job and began working day and night gutting out the grain storage facility that had been vacant for 10 – 15 years. The silos required three months of cleaning tons of rotten soy beans and scrap steel followed by another three months of wall construction and the drilling of thousands of holes into the concrete.

September 2, 1995 was to be the grand opening day, six months from the time cleanup began.

Meet the Manager

Ericka H.

Manager

Hi! Thank you for checking out Upper Limits on Yelp.com. I always check reviews before going to a new place; so, if you have any questions about anything, please give us a call. I have tried to comment on reviews with prices to make sure they are accurate. However, I may miss some. I am one of the two managers here at Upper Limits. I have been climbing for a little under a decade and it is by far the best workout I have ever taken part in. The best part — you don’t even realize you are working out because it is fun! Climbing is intimidating when you are first starting out. You don’t have to know anything before coming to the gym! We have everything you need and we will show you everything that you need to know beforehand. I would love to talk with you about Upper Limits or climbing in general. Hope to see you soon!

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10 reviews of Upper Limits Climbing Gym

No registration required

Angela R.

Place rating: 5
Pekin, IL

I’m not a very experienced climber. It’s something I enjoy and it’s an awesome workout. My husband, myself, and two stepsons went recently, not exactly knowing what to expect. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. We used the auto belays and the area upstairs that really works your hands. There were four auto belays in the main rock climbing gym with multiple levels of difficulty. We all had a good time trying the different levels, including our 8 and 12 year old. Something you won’t find anywhere else is the silos. There are several silos to climb in. One silo has two auto belays in it. Climbing the inside of a silo is something you don’t expect to ever do. We are definitely interested in returning and taking some classes to up our skill levels.

Hilary H.

Place rating: 5
Plano, IL

Before I begin, please know that I am a beginning climber — I first did so back in 2008 at college, and only recently returned.
I have heard of Upper Limits many times before, but never had a chance to go. My boyfriend’s father invited us to attend with his Boy Scout Troup, so we went. The boyfriend is a rather avid & experience climber and has been here before — he has talked it up quite a bit. My 15 year old brother, a first time climber, joined us.
From the moment we walked in, every employee was helpful, friendly, and present. I love the fact that 1) the employees are actual climbers, and 2) they circulate throughout the facility to ensure safety guidelines are upheld. THAT is awesome.
The facility itself is beautiful — 65 foot climbs inside old silos? Marvelous idea. The main room has lower climbs, but routes are still challenging. The wave wall is awesome (though too advanced for me!) and the opposite side is a «cave,» perfect for ceiling & turn practice. Classes are available for newcomers, to learn technique & safety, but there are 6 auto-belayers through the gym for the nervous or very new. The required orientation for new people is helpful and thorough.
We live about 2 hours away, but just the other day, my boyfriend said how much he missed frequent climbing, and wanted to know if I would go again — um, yes.

ZuoBin T.

Place rating: 3
Queens, NY

I decided to stop by this climbing gym while traveling from Chicago to St. Louis because of the positive reviews here on Unilocal.When I read that I would be able to climb inside a silo, that really got me excited.
However, when I finally got there, my initial excitement quickly diminished. First of all, I didn’t like the idea of being charged for taking a belay test. Also, the locker room/bathroom was rather small for changing.
Although the outdoor bouldering space sounded appealing, you are required to either bring your own crash pad or rent one from the gym. The route markers were also quite small.
If you think you would enjoy top-roping inside a silo, then you will be quite satisfied with this place.

Christopher L.

Place rating: 2
Berkeley, CA

The staff at Upper Limits is very friendly. However the release form contains some fairly ridiculous clauses, including «we are not responsible for our own negligence». The climbing areas were fairly claustrophobic and the paths were poorly labeled. On a brighter note, reaching the top of the 60 ft tall route was neat. Probably wouldn’t go again.

Angelina T.

Place rating: 4
Denver, CO

This is practically the only indoor climbing in the area. They have long routes that will help you condition and a wide variety, not just straight up to the top. They’ll keep you thinking about climbing smarter and which moves to use. The Cave is a nice feature as well because you can practice hanging upside down. They have a few auto-belays (4 maybe) that are not close to the best in the business (Vertical Endeavors holds that title), so bring a partner.
For the warmer months, there’s outdoor bouldering available for a man-made boulder they maintain (bring your own mats) and you can climb the outside of the silo — 110 ft!
They can get quite crowded when there are groups, so call ahead to avoid; they’ll gladly let you know what time the groups will clear out. It’s $ 15 per day without a membership.

Cat M.

Place rating: 5
Buda, TX

OMGeeee I miss this place! Can NOT beat Upper Limits for gym climbing. Once you get past the cool novelty of a converted grain silo, you realize it is still a DAMN good idea. Silo walls are 65 delightful feet, much taller than most gyms. Some climbs take advantage of great features in the concrete. There are three round silos but my favorite is the space between their roundness – dihedrals and chimneys. Once you know how much I put my ass to use as a built-in shimmying appendage, that makes perfect sense. You can find opportunities for stemming, flagging, mantling, crimping, working your slopers, practicing sport leads, and so on. The routes change enough you can’t get bored.
Besides the silos, there is a large gym near the front door with maybe 30 foot walls, including a good overhang. A small, sometimes quiet boulder cave is tucked up the stairs, next to a wall with pull up and finger workout boards. If you boulder, the huge outdoor area is where it’s at. There is also a 110 foot climb up the side of the building which puts you higher than most stuff in Bloomington for a big view. Sometimes they flood it for ice climbing in super cold winters. Not that I tried ice – once up in good weather with a micro-brief glance around was plenty enough for me. :)
Their yearlong membership was a good deal, and I had crushes on the staff for being not just hot but kind and friendly (and hot). Find a silo to renovate in Austin, pretty please?

Dianna R.

Place rating: 5
Lombard, IL

My boyfriend (who loves to climb) has wanted to check this place out for a while, and me (a newbie climber) was excited to check it out as well!!! Needless to say, when the olé work day ended Wed. we were pumped to gather our things and be on our way…
Not being from Bloomington, this place was pretty easy to find. I think the concept of reusing an old grain elevator as a climbing gym to be super clever :) (I work near one every day… why didn’t I think of that???). Our first trip here was mostly exploratory by nature, so we didn’t take any lessons in belaying or anything (actually we didn’t even harness up at all). We just did some boulder climbing and checked out the gym, which is AWESOME. I really like the way this place is set-up; they use their space well. After bouldering for a couple hours we decided we would come back for a lesson and try some of the bigger stuff. I can’t wait :)
Also, just a heads up, my bf has some sweet climbing shoes, but, sadly, I do not. It didn’t matter, I was able to rent some out for just $ 4. Although, a word to the wise, they run a little small, so I would ask for ½ size bigger than what you typically wear. HAVE FUN!!!

Robert R.

Place rating: 4
Lemont, IL

The weather outside was frightful… so climbing outdoors was out of the question. Having a day off from work, my climbing buddy gave me a call to see if I’d be up for a road trip out to Bloomington, IL. When I asked him why, he told me of an indoor rock climbing facility nearby that has some of the highest walls… well, silos really, in North America. You see, it’s in a converted grain elevator building and so, has some of the most unique routes in Illinois.
Upon arrival, the mere size of the building gave us insight as to what was in store for us. Getting set up was a bit unorganized as the staff was a little scarce. In their defense, however, the place was swarming with kids and so, they had their hands full (hint: check to make sure it’s not a school holiday if you decide to check this place out). Once signed in, we’d discovered that our climbing opportunities seemed almost endless.
Some key points of interest:
1) 65′ high silo walls
2) 110 ft. outdoor wall with top roped and leadable routes in the summer. Lighted for night climbing.
3) You can rappel 120 ft. off the top of the building with an elevator ride to the top.
4) a 1,700 square feet Outdoor bouldering area
It probably won’t be a place you’ll frequent, but for a nice change of pace (and a more vertical challenge than the norm), grab your climbing gear, fill up the gas tank and head out to Bloomington. I think you’ll find it’s well worth the drive.

Terry S.

Place rating: 4
OH, OH

What gym climber would not love to scale the inside (or the OUTSIDE!) of a silo? This gym was a fabulous idea on somebody’s part, especially given the dearth of available rock in this part of the world.
The employees were nice; the lead test was fair-to-easy, and the silos are almost comparable in height to a single pitch out-of-doors. The main lead room has a wavy, overhung wall that has much potential for long, fun lead routes.
They could use some sort of sound absorption in the silos, though — it was really difficult to hear my belayer over the echo. And the fact that these folks don’t climb out-of-doors much is painfully obvious when you try their routes. The setters make routes difficult by positioning holds farther from one another, or angling them strangely. On the silo routes, I never had to turn my hip in; never palmed; never gastoned. And the lead routes were simply confusing.
To be fair, one setter there admitted that he could use advice from folks who climbed out-of-doors more. (Well, here it is, kids: try to force your climber to use a specific move, preferably NOT the same move over & over. When you are the climber, use features the way you would out-of-doors — nothing there is out.)

Jenna M.

Place rating: 5
Chapel Hill, NC

Biggest indoor rock climbing facility in the world. Lives up to that reputation — love the walls indoor and out. Cave is great, too, although small. $ 10 per person, they provide all equipment. Walls are contained in old silos in West Bloomington over the railroad tracks. Clubs, groups, teams, and classes. Experienced staff there to help you.

Upper Limits Climbing Gym

Bloomington, United States