Backes Lane Climb
- long (2.7 km)
- 1.7 mi
- long (2.7 km)
- of climbing (184 m)
- 604 ft
- of climbing (184 m)
- average grade
- 6.7%
- average grade
- steepest 500 m
- 12.1%
- steepest 500 m
Elevation profile
From 4,167 ft at the bottom to 4,770 ft at the top. Grades are averaged over each half kilometre, from USGS elevation data, so short ramps can be steeper than they show.
Weather at the top of Backes Lane this week
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Is it safe to bike up Backes Lane?
We don't rate roads as safe or unsafe: crash counts can't say how risky a ride is, and roads people like to ride draw more riders, so they see more crashes. What the records show: 1 bike crash was reported on or beside Backes Lane along the climb from 2021–2025, 1 of them serious or fatal.
Common questions about Backes Lane
- How long and steep is the Backes Lane climb?
- 1.7 miles (2.7 km) at 6.7% on average, climbing 604 ft (184 m) from 4,167 ft to 4,770 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 12.1%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.
- Where does the climb start and finish?
- It starts at 35.11672, -118.50386, where Backes Lane leaves Schout Road, and ends where the road ends at 35.09483, -118.49753.
- Is Backes Lane paved?
- Yes, by its OpenStreetMap tags.
- How is the category worked out?
- From the climb's shape only: length in metres × average grade (%) of 16,000 or more for Cat 3, 32,000 for Cat 2, 64,000 for Cat 1 and 80,000 for HC. It describes how hard the climb is, not traffic or crashes.
- Where does this data come from?
- The climb is found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation (every climb, not a list of famous ones). Access is from OpenStreetMap tags; gates and closures change, so obey posted signs. Crash counts are police reports in the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS) on data.ca.gov, counted where their map location is within 100 ft of the climb. The forecast is from the National Weather Service.
Other climbs nearby
- Water Canyon RoadCat 2 · 3.2 mi at 7.4% · 1,250 ft · starts 0.9 mi away
- Jury Ranch DriveCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 10.3% · 778 ft · starts 1.3 mi away
- Saint Moritz DriveCat 3 · 1.0 mi at 13% · 676 ft · starts 3.4 mi away
- Matterhorn DriveCat 2 · 3.7 mi at 6.9% · 1,335 ft · starts 3.4 mi away
- Saint Moritz PlaceCat 3 · 0.7 mi at 13.5% · 531 ft · starts 3.5 mi away
- Mountain Climber Way from Chalet DriveCat 3 · 1.8 mi at 10.6% · 997 ft · starts 3.9 mi away
- Bear Valley Road near TehachapiCat 3 · 2.9 mi at 4.7% · 728 ft · starts 4.1 mi away
- Andermatt DriveCat 3 · 0.9 mi at 11.3% · 548 ft · starts 4.1 mi away
Found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation; ranked on shape only. Category 3: length in metres × average grade (%) of 16,000 or more for Cat 3, 32,000 for Cat 2, 64,000 for Cat 1 and 80,000 for HC. It describes how hard the climb is, not traffic or crashes. Crashes: bike crashes reported within 100 ft of the climb, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), counted only where the report has map coordinates. Weather: National Weather Service. Access from OpenStreetMap tags; obey posted signs. How the data works.