Bear Creek Road Climb from Pinsmore Road

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: no bike crashes were reported along the climb from 2021–2025.

How long and steep is the Bear Creek Road from Pinsmore Road climb?

1.3 miles (2.1 km) at 10.6% on average, climbing 745 ft (227 m) from 2,818 ft to 3,563 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 14.1%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 40.49714, -123.61665, where Bear Creek Road leaves Pinsmore Road, and tops out at East Line Court at 40.50495, -123.62961.

Is Bear Creek Road 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.

• Van View RoadCat 3 · 1.0 mi at 13.3% · 732 ft · starts 0.2 mi away
• Bear Creek RoadCat 3 · 0.8 mi at 13.6% · 548 ft · starts 0.7 mi away
• Buck Mountain RoadCat 2 · 2.9 mi at 7% · 1,079 ft · starts 0.8 mi away
• Oak RoadCat 3 · 1.2 mi at 10.1% · 646 ft · starts 1.0 mi away
• Anderson Ford RoadCat 3 · 1.3 mi at 10.4% · 709 ft · starts 1.1 mi away
• In15ACat 3 · 2.4 mi at 7% · 896 ft · starts 1.5 mi away
• Burr Valley Road near Rio DellCat 2 · 3.6 mi at 5.6% · 1,066 ft · starts 2.7 mi away
• Bear Creek Road near Rio DellCat 2 · 2.7 mi at 10.4% · 1,503 ft · starts 3.5 mi away