County Highway J37 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 County Highway J37 climb?

2.6 miles (4.2 km) at 11% on average, climbing 1,509 ft (460 m) from 4,354 ft to 5,863 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 15%. That makes it a Category 2 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 36.20575, -118.71771, where County Highway J37 leaves Bear Creek Road, and ends where the road ends at 36.2119, -118.68931.

Is County Highway J37 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.

• Dirt RoadCat 1 · dirt · 3.3 mi at 13.5% · 2,388 ft · starts 1.5 mi away
• Ranchria Fire RoadCat 1 · dirt · 4.8 mi at 8.7% · 2,198 ft · starts 2.9 mi away
• Bear Creek Road from Balch Park RoadHC · 15 mi at 6.4% · 4,954 ft · starts 4.7 mi away
• Yokohl Valley Drive from Balch Park RoadCat 3 · 3.2 mi at 5.1% · 866 ft · starts 5.7 mi away
• Upper Grouse Valley RoadCat 1 · 6.6 mi at 6.2% · 2,152 ft · starts 6.3 mi away
• Balch Park RoadHC · 24 mi at 4.1% · 5,272 ft · starts 6.7 mi away
• Redwood DriveCat 2 · 5.5 mi at 4.8% · 1,394 ft · starts 7.5 mi away
• Highway 190HC · 31 mi at 4% · 6,535 ft · starts 12 mi away