Bear Mountain Road Climb

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 Mountain Road climb?

1.3 miles (2.0 km) at 9% on average, climbing 600 ft (183 m) from 3,127 ft to 3,727 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 14%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 35.24134, -118.61645, where Bear Mountain Road leaves Clear Creek Road, and ends where the road ends at 35.22994, -118.61956.

Is Bear Mountain 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.

• Hart Oaks DriveCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 8.9% · 692 ft · starts 0.9 mi away
• Clear Creek Road near TehachapiCat 3 · 1.8 mi at 9.8% · 942 ft · starts 1.1 mi away
• Clear Creek Road from Hart Flat RoadCat 3 · 3.1 mi at 4.9% · 791 ft · starts 1.1 mi away
• Rolling Oaks RoadCat 3 · 1.1 mi at 15.4% · 883 ft · starts 1.8 mi away
• Bealville RoadCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 7.4% · 741 ft · starts 3.2 mi away
• Caliente Bodfish Road near ArvinHC · 10 mi at 5.1% · 2,753 ft · starts 3.3 mi away
• Owl CourtCat 3 · 0.3 mi at 34.7% · 617 ft · starts 3.4 mi away
• El Camino DriveCat 3 · 1.1 mi at 10.6% · 587 ft · starts 4.2 mi away