The road less traveled is often the more fulfilling one, especially when it bypasses Robert Frost's tiger pits. Diverge from a rote route with this Groupon.

Choose Between Two Options

$22 for a Fight Gravity One package (a $45 value)

Instructors teach pupils the basics of rock climbing and belaying during a two-hour class. Afterward, students can perform a belay safety check and then practice their newfangled knowledge with one week of unlimited climbing, honing the skills needed to pass the top-rope-safety test. This introductory course includes all climbing gear, such as harnesses and shoes. Beginners must take a belay class before climbing. Click here for a class calendar.

$49 for a one-month membership with unlimited climbing plus rental equipment (a $99 value)

Members strap into free rental equipment to scale 9,000 square feet of climbing terrain, including a top-rope wall, boulder area, and an overhanging arch with pathways that demand upside-down trekking for up to 65 feet. This option requires prior climbing experience.

Rockreation

Blaine Eastcott's love of the outdoors is rooted in fond childhood memories of family camping trips. On one such trip, Blaine's teenage self impulsively climbed a 100-foot rock only to soon find himself struck by panic high up on the rock face. He was paralyzed by fear, until a surge of adrenaline gave him the courage needed to scramble the final 10 feet up. This ordeal spurred him to take rock-climbing classes—and eventually led to his current position as the president of Rockreation. His three adrenaline-inducing arenas challenge climbers of all skill levels with more than 28,500 total square feet of climbing terrain, composed of jagged cliffs, bouldering nooks, and craggy archways. The faux-mountain range mimics the conditions of real rocks with indentions, overhangs, and eagle's nests.

The gyms devote one-third of their space to a bouldering area, which blends into a top-rope course fraught with varying angles, and a large lead area with an overhanging arch. Across these angles, passionate instructors with extensive outdoors experience—and a background in conversational mountain goat—guide students through the Fight Gravity program. The three-class series focuses on belaying basics, and progresses through technique instruction and bouldering. They also lead seasonal kids' camps where tiny humans can explore the routes, or plunge on a big swing and zipline. The gyms also have a separate area with machines, traditional weights, and cardio equipment for members who want to not only climb rocks, but also lift heavy ones above their heads.