FunKidsActivities

Hangar 18 Indoor Climbing Gym - Long Beach

2599 E Willow St, Signal Hill, CA 90755, USA

Overview

Category:Climbing Gyms
Location:Los Angeles, CA

Expert Summary

Detailed Insights

Hangar 18 Long Beach stands out as a less crowded alternative to its Orange location, offering a welcoming, community-focused atmosphere that is particularly 'extremely kid friendly'. Parents consistently praise the helpful staff, the availability of beginner-friendly climbing routes (especially on auto belays), and frequent bouldering route resets. It's an excellent choice for families seeking a positive and supportive environment for their children to learn and enjoy climbing.

Key Highlights

  • Consistently described as less crowded than other Hangar 18 locations, even on Saturday mornings and weekends.
  • Routesetters create unique and engaging climbs, with bouldering routes updated weekly every Tuesday.
  • Extremely kid-friendly environment with many kids climbing; ages 9 and 13 explicitly love it.
  • Staff is repeatedly noted as super friendly, nice, welcoming, and helpful (e.g., offering top rope refreshers).
  • Strong sense of community where climbers and staff are supportive and helpful.
  • Ample auto belays (five in total) with beginner-friendly routes (5.9 or lower) suitable for kids and solo climbers.
  • Plenty of parking, often including shaded spots, and always available.

Standout Features

  • Weekly bouldering route resets (every Tuesday) keep the climbing fresh and engaging.
  • Dedicated auto belay walls (five total) with beginner-friendly routes (5.9 or lower).
  • Top rope climbing available with staff willing to provide refreshers on technique.
  • Friendly and supportive community makes it comfortable for kids and new climbers.
  • Ample, consistently available, and often shaded parking.
  • Option to use a single membership across multiple Hangar 18 locations.

Perfect For

Excellent for school-aged children and teens: 'My kids ages 13 and 9 love it here.'
Perfect for beginners of all ages, including children, due to 'many beginner routes' and auto belays set at 5.9 or lower.
Offers enough to challenge more experienced climbers as well, ensuring diverse appeal.

Ideal For

Families with beginner to intermediate climbers, especially those with children aged 9 and up.
Parents seeking a less crowded climbing gym experience, particularly on weekends.
Solo climbers benefiting from auto belays and a welcoming atmosphere.
Families looking for a supportive and community-oriented climbing environment.
Learning or improving climbing skills with helpful staff and diverse routes.

💡Pro Tips from Reviews

  • Visit on weekends for a less crowded experience, especially if other Hangar 18 locations are typically packed.
  • Don't hesitate to ask front desk staff for refreshers if you're rusty on top rope technique.
  • Utilize the auto belays for solo climbing, warm-ups, or cardio reps.
  • Be aware that bouldering routes are reset weekly on Tuesdays, so plan accordingly if you want to try new bouldering challenges.
  • If you prefer a quieter music experience, be aware that loud rock music may occasionally be played.

Things to Consider

  • Conflicting reports on gym size: some describe it as smaller, others as large/bigger than Orange.
  • One review noted a lack of A/C and a 'smell like feet,' while another specifically praised the 'cool temperature' and working A/C.
  • Restrooms were described by one reviewer as 'not that pleasant'.
  • Music can sometimes be 'loud rock' which might not appeal to all parents.

Price & Value

While no specific prices are mentioned, reviewers note 'you really can’t beat it for the atmosphere and price.' The value is enhanced by a friendly staff, community vibe, less crowding, and the ability to use a membership across multiple Hangar 18 locations.

Accessibility & Special Needs

  • No specific accessibility accommodations for physical or sensory needs were mentioned in the reviews.

🍎Food & Drink Policy

  • No specific food or drink policies were mentioned in the reviews.

🚗Parking Info

  • Free parking is plentiful and always available, even on busy weekends.
  • Many parking spots are in the shade, which is a nice bonus.

👥Crowd Levels

  • Consistently described as significantly less crowded than the Orange location.
  • Reviewers found it uncrowded on Saturday mornings and weekends, with no waiting for climbs during peak times.
  • It's a strong recommendation for those looking to avoid crowds.

🛡️Safety Features

  • Staff offers refreshers on top rope technique, indicating a focus on safe climbing practices.
  • Auto belay systems are available, providing a safe option for solo climbing or skill building.
  • Many beginner routes are available, reducing the risk for new climbers and children.
  • No explicit mentions of dedicated safety monitors, first aid stations, or specific child security measures were made beyond standard gym practices.

When to Avoid

  • If a very large climbing gym space is a top priority (though gym size reports are conflicting).
  • If sensitive to potential odors or an inconsistent A/C experience (reviewers had mixed opinions).
  • If unpleasant restrooms are a deal-breaker.

Pricing/Package/Events

🛡️Safety Policy

  • Bouldering is climbing without a rope over a padding system (newly renovated seamless padding system).
  • Top-Rope Climbing: basics needed to conquer fears and get to the top of the wall (assistance available for partners).
  • Auto Belays: designed for solo climbers, just clip in and climb on.
Information extracted from official website • Last updated: Sep 29, 2025

What People Say

What's Great

  • Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 10 reviews)
  • Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
  • Spacious play areas (mentioned in 7 reviews)

Areas for Improvement

  • Can get crowded during peak times (mentioned in 3 reviews)
  • Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 4 reviews)

Recent Reviews

David Nguyen

David Nguyen

9 months ago

I've been to the Long Beach Hangar twice now, and the second time around, the routes were super interesting. Each wall offers fairly unique climbs like a lot of gyms try to offer, but I feel Long Beach routesetters know what they're doing. There were a few climbs that offered dynamic approaches to them that were super fun, and you feel cool swinging from one hold to a mid-air hang between two holds. Super stellar stuff. The gym isn't as big as the Orange location, but parking is plenty, and it doesn't get nearly as crowded as Orange either. I came here Saturday morning and never once felt like I had to wait for anyone to climb anything. They do offer top rope and auto belay here, and I'll admit I was rusty on my top rope tech ique, but the front desk staff were super helpful and gave us a refresher. They have a small workout area with a bench and a few weights that nothing to be amazed about as well as a standard campus board and kilter. Honestly, if the Orange location is packed, come check out Long Beach Hangar. You won't be disappointed. Update: May 2024 I've been really enjoying coming here on the weekends. There's still no crowd, parking is always available, staff always friendly, and the routes have gotten more unique since my initial review, in my opinion. They do take a bit of time to reset certain walls but this gives you enough time to work out a project.

Hannah

Hannah

4 months ago

The gym staff were really nice and welcoming, making me immediately feel at home. The gym itself is on the smaller side with two top rope walls, two auto belay walls and an average sized bouldering area. For solo climbers, there are a total of five auto belays, all of which had a 5.9 or lower set on them. The setting was a little stiffer than I’m used to but my gym is known for soft setting (Touchstone). All in all you really can’t beat it for the atmosphere and price.

Sabrina Kroeber

Sabrina Kroeber

2 months ago

This is my go to gym when I need to workout and climb. The bouldering walls are updated in sections and done every Tuesday so there’s always new routes once a week in different sections! The staff is super friendly and it’s usually great music (sometimes there is loud rock which I’m not a fan of but eh what can you do 🤷🏻‍♀️). The top rope section is small but that’s okay there are two areas to do it. The autobelay is nice when you want to do reps of climbs to get your cardio. The only drawback of this place is the lack of A/C and it definitely smells like feet 😂 but for the price I can’t complain too much. This place is great and if you end up liking this company there are tons of other locations you can go to with your membership and they’re all unique and fun! This gym is the reason I’m so into climbing now and I’ve learned a lot from the people who both work there and climb there.

Donna Earhart

Donna Earhart

10 months ago

Really like this hangar 18 versus the one in orange. This location tends to be less crowded during peak times. It’s bigger, offers bouldering, auto belay and top rope. The staff and vibe are much better in my opinion. This gym is also extremely kid friendly with many kids in the gym climbing. Seems like a community and everyone likes to help everyone vs the orange location where everyone was very indifferent to you being there. My kids ages 13 and 9 love it here. There are many beginner routes and enough to challenge more experienced climbers. I would highly recommend this location if you have kids.

Fang Phattha

Fang Phattha

a year ago

Best Hangar 18 I’ve visited in SoCal in terms of climbing routes for beginner. The gym is large. A lot of trails both bouldering and belay (didn’t see much auto belay though). Plenty of parking including those in shades. Cool temperature. Aircon was working better than other Hangar 18 I’ve been to. Restroom wasn’t that pleasant.

Contact Information

2599 E Willow St, Signal Hill, CA 90755, USA

View on Google Maps

Opening Hours

Monday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Quick Stats

Overall Rating
4.4
Total Reviews308
Recent Reviews5