Carancho 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 Carancho Road climb?

2.5 miles (4.0 km) at 5.7% on average, climbing 748 ft (228 m) from 600 ft to 1,348 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 13.1%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 33.47426, -117.31452, where Carancho Road leaves Vuelta Grande Road, and tops out at Los Gatos Road at 33.49141, -117.28469.

Is Carancho 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.

• Avocado Mesa RoadCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 10.9% · 814 ft · starts 1.9 mi away
• Los Gatos RoadCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 10.6% · 771 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Avenida EscalaCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 8% · 604 ft · starts 2.5 mi away
• El Calamar RoadCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 7% · 577 ft · starts 2.5 mi away
• Daily DriveCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 6.9% · 577 ft · starts 2.9 mi away
• De Luz Road near MurrietaCat 3 · 3.3 mi at 3.2% · 577 ft · starts 3.5 mi away
• Daily RoadCat 3 · 4.0 mi at 3.4% · 719 ft · starts 3.7 mi away
• Sandia Creek Drive near TemeculaCat 3 · 5.0 mi at 3.4% · 889 ft · starts 4.0 mi away