Cherokee 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 Cherokee Road climb?

5.7 miles (9.3 km) at 3.6% on average, climbing 1,099 ft (335 m) from 266 ft to 1,365 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 10.4%. That makes it a Category 2 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 39.54257, -121.54599, and tops out on the road at 39.60555, -121.52981.

Is Cherokee 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.

• Oregon Gulch RoadCat 3 · 4.5 mi at 4% · 948 ft · starts 1.5 mi away
• Olive HighwayCat 3 · 4.1 mi at 3.4% · 741 ft · starts 2.9 mi away
• Mount Ida RoadCat 3 · 4.2 mi at 3% · 656 ft · starts 4.7 mi away
• Simmons RoadCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 6.3% · 758 ft · starts 6.2 mi away
• Oroville-Quincy HighwayHC · 11 mi at 4.7% · 2,717 ft · starts 6.6 mi away
• Forbestown Road from Weger DriveCat 3 · 3.2 mi at 3.9% · 646 ft · starts 6.6 mi away
• Hurleton RoadCat 3 · 3.5 mi at 3.1% · 581 ft · starts 6.7 mi away
• Canyon Creek Road from Oroville-Quincy HighwayCat 3 · 0.9 mi at 13.4% · 633 ft · starts 6.8 mi away