I too would say that she is ready for a big girl bed. Once they are able to climb out you need to make the switch fast so she doesn't get hurt. I agree with you that you'll need to get most of the toys out of her room. We took all but a couple of toys out of my son's room when he switched to a bed. We also put a gate up. He wakes up at least once a night (he's almost 3 now) but he stays in his room and either "reads" his books or plays with his stuffed animals. He has a pretty bright night-light so he can see what he is doing. He usually falls back asleep for a little while, so he's not too crabby.
Also make sure she get into anything dangerous by climbing. We had to put safety locks on our windows because we have a dresser there and don't want him to open the window and fall out (2nd floor room). It may be hard the first few days as she gets used to the new freedom, but if you've taken most of the toys out in a few days she'll realize what to do. I don't know how you put her down at night, but we use a cd with favorite songs that he listens to as he falls asleep. If we have a lot of trouble with him when he wakes up during the night (only once in a great while) we'll turn his music back on and he'll usually go back to sleep.