Covington 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 Covington Road climb?

1.6 miles (2.6 km) at 11.3% on average, climbing 974 ft (297 m) from 2,228 ft to 3,202 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 13.9%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 38.02802, -120.37755, where Covington Road leaves Sawmill Flat Road, and tops out at Columbia Crest Drive at 38.02024, -120.35993.

Is Covington 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.

• Big Hill Road from Sawmill Flat RoadCat 2 · 3.5 mi at 7.1% · 1,296 ft · starts 0.7 mi away
• Yankee Hill RoadCat 2 · 5.3 mi at 4% · 1,115 ft · starts 1.1 mi away
• Skyview DriveCat 3 · 1.0 mi at 12% · 646 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Experimental Mine RoadCat 3 · 1.3 mi at 7.7% · 535 ft · starts 2.6 mi away
• Lyons Bald Mountain RoadCat 3 · 2.0 mi at 7.3% · 761 ft · starts 2.8 mi away
• Italian Bar Road near SonoraCat 3 · 3.4 mi at 5.6% · 1,004 ft · starts 3.0 mi away
• Five Mile Creek RoadCat 3 · 1.8 mi at 6% · 554 ft · starts 3.4 mi away
• Montgomery RoadCat 3 · 2.0 mi at 6.6% · 692 ft · starts 3.9 mi away