Church 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 Church Road climb?

4.6 miles (7.5 km) at 3.4% on average, climbing 817 ft (249 m) from 3,268 ft to 4,085 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 7.3%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 32.64632, -116.3649, and tops out at Old Highway 80 at 32.70082, -116.35732.

Is Church 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.

• Shasta WayCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 4.8% · 571 ft · starts 0.9 mi away
• Hi Pass RoadCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 4.8% · 591 ft · starts 4.8 mi away
• Old Highway 80Cat 3 · 3.8 mi at 3.4% · 669 ft · starts 6.5 mi away
• Sunrise Highway from Old Highway 80HC · 15 mi at 3.5% · 2,815 ft · starts 7.8 mi away
• Kitchen Creek RoadHC · 11 mi at 4.4% · 2,644 ft · starts 7.9 mi away
• Sheephead Mountain RoadCat 1 · dirt · 12 mi at 3.8% · 2,365 ft · starts 9.1 mi away
• Los Pinos RoadCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 6.8% · 817 ft · starts 13 mi away
• Corral Canyon Road near San DiegoCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.8% · 607 ft · starts 14 mi away