Columbus climbers make the most of limited elevation
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
This week marks a pair of climbing holidays, making it the peak season for Central Ohio mountaineers to hit new heights — if they can find something to climb.
Why it matters: Indoor climbing and outdoor bouldering are more popular than ever, thanks to climbing's introduction to the Olympics and the evolution of climbing gyms.
Reality check: Flat, landlocked Columbus doesn't naturally provide the terrain enthusiasts need.
- Despite Columbus' enthusiastic embrace of sports culture, we can only do so much to replicate the cliffs and boulders of more geographically fortunate cities.
- The U.S. Geological Survey marked a difference of just 208 feet between our highest point (893 feet above sea level) and lowest (685).
Yes, but: Our parks are trying to provide some surfaces to scale.
- Quarry Trails offers a sport climbing area and the popular via ferrata, a 1,040-foot cabled climbing wall with metal rungs and bridges overlooking the pond below.
- As part of its recent expansion, Scioto Audubon added 7,000 square feet of climbing walls on three towers that reach 35 feet.
Scaling the news: Climbers can find a few indoor options as well.
- The Westerville Community Center has a 30-foot wall, and Ohio State's Adventure Recreation Center features a 4,000-square-foot climbing center.
- Climbing gym company 5.Life operates Vertical Adventures near Worthington, Chambers Purely Boulders in Grandview, and Bloc Garten at Scioto Audubon.
Beyond that, enthusiasts will need to drive an hour outside of town to Marne Road or Mad River Gorge to truly scratch their climbing itch.
💭 Reader Kyle H. has been climbing for a decade and tells us the closest "world class" climbing is more than three hours away at either New River Gorge or Red River Gorge.
- Nathan T. is a relative newcomer and complimented Bloc Garten's staff, who are "super friendly and helpful for first timers."
Ohio's peak
You won't need any impressive gear to reach the highest point in the entire state — it's just a short trek up a hill across from a school parking lot.
The big picture: Ohio's highest natural point is Campbell Hill in Bellefontaine, about an hour drive from Columbus.
- It sits 1,549 feet above sea level.
Flashback: The hill got its name from Charles D. Campbell, a Bellefontaine resident who owned the land when the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey officially recognized it as Ohio's peak in 1900.
- From 1951 to 1969, the hill was used as a radar surveillance hub for Cold War operations as part of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).
🪧 Today, Campbell Hill is an Ohio Historical Marker site and sits across from the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center.
▶️ Worthy of your time: Highpointing enthusiast Skye Marthaler's video deep dive on the hill's history.