Bluff Creek 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 Bluff Creek Road climb?

11 miles (17.5 km) at 5.4% on average, climbing 3,123 ft (952 m) from 472 ft to 3,596 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 10.5%. That makes it a Hors catégorie climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 41.22427, -123.65257, and tops out on the road at 41.29103, -123.72785.

Is Bluff 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.

• Slate Creek RoadHC · 9.0 mi at 8.5% · 4,042 ft · starts 1.9 mi away
• Ross Ranch RoadCat 2 · 3.4 mi at 10.6% · 1,909 ft · starts 2.2 mi away
• Hopkins Creek RoadCat 2 · 5.0 mi at 5% · 1,316 ft · starts 2.6 mi away
• Fish Lake RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 5.6% · 709 ft · starts 3.3 mi away
• Lake Prairie RoadCat 2 · 1.1 mi at 21.4% · 1,266 ft · starts 3.8 mi away
• Deerhorn RoadCat 1 · dirt · 5.4 mi at 8.4% · 2,395 ft · starts 4.0 mi away
• Cedar Camp RoadHC · dirt · 8.6 mi at 6.5% · 2,963 ft · starts 5.1 mi away
• Upper Leary Creek RoadCat 1 · dirt · 7.5 mi at 6.4% · 2,513 ft · starts 5.5 mi away