Crystal Creek Road Climb near Big Bear Lake

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 Crystal Creek Road near Big Bear Lake climb?

3.5 miles (5.6 km) at 4.7% on average, climbing 863 ft (263 m) from 3,002 ft to 3,865 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 7%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 34.43474, -116.94596, and tops out on the road at 34.38413, -116.94559.

Is Crystal Creek 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.

• Mesa RoadCat 2 · 3.7 mi at 5.6% · 1,096 ft · starts 0.5 mi away
• Meridian RoadCat 3 · 3.6 mi at 4.3% · 827 ft · starts 1.7 mi away
• JF3150Cat 2 · 5.4 mi at 6.9% · 1,962 ft · starts 3.7 mi away
• Crystal Creek Road from JF3148Cat 2 · 3.1 mi at 9.4% · 1,526 ft · starts 3.9 mi away
• Santa Rosa Road from Shantung RoadCat 3 · 4.1 mi at 4% · 850 ft · starts 4.3 mi away
• High RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 5.6% · 702 ft · starts 5.0 mi away
• Camp Rock RoadCat 3 · 4.1 mi at 3.7% · 794 ft · starts 5.0 mi away
• Grapevine Canyon Road from Santa Rosa RoadHC · dirt · 5.3 mi at 10% · 2,812 ft · starts 5.6 mi away