Entry No. 97 — the Chicago file — filed under: outdoor

Steelworkers Park Ore Walls

Two towering concrete ore walls — leftover retaining walls from U.S. Steel's 600-acre South Works plant, which once employed over 20,000 workers before closing in 1992 — were deliberately left standing as the last visible fragment of the mill, and now double as a 30-foot outdoor climbing wall against open Lake Michigan.

The move: Catch a Chicago Park District weekend open-climb session on the ore walls (grades 5.2–5.7), then walk the surviving foundations out toward the breakwater at sunset.

• 📍 South Chicago
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 3399 E. 87th St, Chicago, IL 60617

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: chicagoparkdistrict.com · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-19