Boulderwand Meerpark: Climbing & Bouldering in Watergraafsmeer, Amsterdam
The Boulderwand in Meerpark is a public outdoor bouldering wall in the Watergraafsmeer, in the strip of park between the sports fields around Sportpark Middenmeer. There is no club, no staff and no booking: you turn up with your own shoes and climb. It is one for people who already boulder and want to train outside, and logged problems go up to at least 7A.
Opening hours
- Mon 00:00-24:00
- Tue 00:00-24:00
- Wed 00:00-24:00
- Thu 00:00-24:00
- Fri 00:00-24:00
- Sat 00:00-24:00
- Sun 00:00-24:00
Good to know
- Outdoor bouldering wall
- Free access
- No booking
- Picnic tables
- Barbecue area
- Play area
- Skate route
- Running route
- Car park nearby
What the wall is
Meerpark opened at the end of May 2010, and the wall was part of the plan from the start, alongside the play equipment and the running and skate routes. The project leader at the time described bouldering as a low-threshold sport that does not happen through clubs, and said climbers came from in and outside Amsterdam because there were few places to go.
Climbers call it De wand. A logged traverse, graded 7A, starts on the left side of the big bowl and runs out past the big bulb on the right. On that problem the lip is off limits.
How it works
The wall is mapped as open at all hours, with no fee and open access. There is nothing to book and nobody to ask for shoes or mats, so bring your own climbing shoes and, if you want one, a crash pad. The sport was seen as too hard for small children when the wall opened, so treat it as one for confident climbers rather than a playground.
The rest of the park
Meerpark, designed by the play-space specialists Carve, was laid out on what used to be a through-route of grass and paths between some twenty sports fields. It now has ecological walking routes, a skate route and a running route, picnic tables of Corten steel and hardwood, and a pebbled area for your own barbecue, with wheelchair-friendly access to the picnic tables. The play area has a suspension bridge, stepping stones and a small pull ferry over the water.
The old Ajax stadium De Meer stood beside the park. It has since been demolished and replaced by housing.
Getting there
The park sits among the sports parks of the Watergraafsmeer, with a car park next to it. Sportpark Middenmeer at Middenweg 395 is a nearby address to navigate to.
Common questions
- Is the Meerpark boulder wall free?
- It is a public wall in a public park, mapped as free and open access. Nobody publishes a fee, and there is no desk or staff to pay.
- When can you climb at Boulderwand Meerpark?
- The wall is mapped as open at all hours. It is outdoors, so the weather decides how much sense that makes.
- Do you need your own gear for the Meerpark wall?
- Yes, there is no hire on site. Bring your own climbing shoes and a crash pad if you use one.
- Is the Meerpark wall suitable for beginners?
- It was built as a low-threshold place to boulder, but it has no staff or instruction. Logged problems go up to 7A, and a guided introduction in a hall is the easier start.
More climbing & bouldering nearby
- Boulderblok Universum Watergraafsmeer
- USC Universum Watergraafsmeer
- Klimmuur Centraal The Eastern Islands
- Monk Bouldergym Amsterdam Oud-Noord
- Boulder Amsterdam Westerpark
- Beta Boulders Oud-Zuid
Opening hours change: check with the venue before you go.