El Calamar 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 El Calamar Road climb?

1.6 miles (2.5 km) at 7% on average, climbing 577 ft (176 m) from 1,119 ft to 1,696 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 13.1%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 33.47839, -117.27058, and tops out at Via Escalon at 33.49795, -117.2706.

Is El Calamar 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.

• De Luz Road near MurrietaCat 3 · 3.3 mi at 3.2% · 577 ft · starts 1.0 mi away
• Los Gatos RoadCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 10.6% · 771 ft · starts 1.2 mi away
• Sandia Creek Drive near TemeculaCat 3 · 5.0 mi at 3.4% · 889 ft · starts 2.1 mi away
• Carancho RoadCat 3 · 2.5 mi at 5.7% · 748 ft · starts 2.5 mi away
• Avocado Mesa RoadCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 10.9% · 814 ft · starts 2.6 mi away
• Daily DriveCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 6.9% · 577 ft · starts 3.5 mi away
• De Luz Heights RoadCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 8.4% · 827 ft · starts 3.9 mi away
• Avenida EscalaCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 8% · 604 ft · starts 4.2 mi away