Bear Valley Road Climb from Hornitos 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 Valley Road from Hornitos Road climb?

8.5 miles (13.8 km) at 4% on average, climbing 1,788 ft (545 m) from 827 ft to 2,615 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 9.8%. That makes it a Category 2 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 37.49949, -120.239, where Bear Valley Road leaves Hornitos Road, and tops out on the road at 37.57008, -120.15251.

Is Bear Valley 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.

• Old Toll RoadCat 2 · 6.4 mi at 3.1% · 1,066 ft · starts 5.3 mi away
• Bear Valley RoadCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 6.3% · 571 ft · starts 8.0 mi away
• Pinetree RoadCat 3 · 1.0 mi at 9.8% · 525 ft · starts 9.3 mi away
• Golden Chain HighwayCat 2 · 5.8 mi at 5% · 1,506 ft · starts 9.5 mi away
• Golden Chain HighwayCat 2 · 4.0 mi at 6.7% · 1,421 ft · starts 9.5 mi away
• French RoadCat 3 · 1.8 mi at 6.1% · 568 ft · starts 10 mi away
• B L M RoadCat 2 · 6.6 mi at 4.2% · 1,463 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Lyons Gulch RoadCat 3 · 2.5 mi at 5.4% · 719 ft · starts 11 mi away