Dogpatch Boulders is on 3rd Street in San Francisco, run by Touchstone Climbing. It holds a 4.8 rating from 670 Google reviews, one of the biggest samples in this directory.
One caveat before any of it counts: nobody has written a review here since November 2020. Every account below was written during the pandemic or before it, which for a climbing gym is a long time. Routes get reset weekly. Memberships, prices and hours have all had five years to move.
The Locker Room Saga
The best review on this record is a three-star from December 2019, and it's a small masterpiece of documentation: "Climbing area is great! Locker rooms are tiny and smelly though. And they claim to be renovating locker rooms with more space and saunas since I joined in May 2017. From their FAQ of when everything will be ready: 'Not in the next few months, unfortunately, expect construction to be ongoing throughout 2018.' As 2019 draws to a close, it would be great to see an update."
Look at what that member did. They joined in 2017, were promised a renovation, quoted the gym's own FAQ back at it, and were still waiting two and a half years later.
Did the locker rooms ever get done? I've no idea. The record stops in November 2020 and nobody mentions it again. But if you're touring the place, that's the room to look at, and you now know the question to ask.
Parking Is The Recurring Complaint
Two members, independently, in 2020.
A member in July 2020, four stars: "One star off for tricky parking and being kind of far away from everything."
A member in January 2020: "Parking can be tough and may be easier if you walk all the way around to the back side of the building."
Tricky parking, and a tip: try the back of the building. That's the sort of thing you'd otherwise learn the hard way.
The Climbing Itself
Nobody has a bad word for it.
A member in July 2020: "The bouldering areas here are extensive, two stories! They have pretty diverse routes and even a bouldering cave/ramp, which is awesome. Folks are friendly and it's way less crowded here after work than it is at PG Sunnyvale. Beautiful views of SF abound!"
Two storeys, a cave, diverse routes, and a direct comparison: quieter after work than Planet Granite Sunnyvale. That's a genuinely useful benchmark if you're choosing between Bay Area gyms.
A member in July 2020 who'd been away from climbing: "After taking their intro to bouldering class as a refresh, I was totally hooked and got a membership. I really like that they make bouldering feel accessible to people who have never done it before. They also have a weight room and various fitness and climbing classes."
So there's an intro class, a weight room, and fitness classes alongside the climbing. Good for returning or first-time climbers.
There's also a restaurant and bar on site, per a member in January 2020, which is unusual and worth knowing.
Who It's Not For
It's bouldering. No ropes are mentioned by anyone, which fits the name. If you want lead or top-rope, this isn't the Touchstone gym for you.
If you drive and hate a parking hunt, two members have warned you. And a member in November 2020 mentions the music is hip-hop and R&B, which they loved. If you don't, you'll be hearing it anyway.
What's Missing
No opening hours in the listing. No pricing. No phone number. Touchstone's page is touchstoneclimbing.com/dogpatch-boulders.
2573 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94107.
FAQ
How current is the 4.8 rating?
It isn't. The newest written review dates from November 2020, so the rating describes the gym as it was over five years ago.
What are the locker rooms like?
A member in December 2019 called them tiny and smelly, and documented a renovation promised since 2017 that hadn't happened. Check for yourself.
Is there parking?
It's tricky. Two members say so, and one suggests trying the back of the building.
Is it just bouldering?
Yes, though a member mentions a weight room plus fitness and climbing classes. Nobody mentions rope climbing.