El Toro Road Climb from Saddleback Church Road

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. The records here are also incomplete: most reports along it are filed under Mission Viejo, where only 26% of reported bike crashes have a map location, so the numbers here are too low. What the records show: 4 bike crashes were reported on or beside El Toro Road along the climb from 2021–2025, 3 of them serious or fatal. The most were at E Santiago Canyon Road & Ridgeline Road (4). Of the 4 where the cyclist's direction along the climb can be read, 4 were coming down and 0 going up.

1. 4 crashes · 3 serious or fatal

   E Santiago Canyon Road & Ridgeline Road

   Side-impact crashes at the junction

   2 of 4 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal. Traffic is posted at about 55 mph.

   See it on the map

How long and steep is the El Toro Road from Saddleback Church Road climb?

3.6 miles (5.8 km) at 3.2% on average, climbing 604 ft (184 m) from 817 ft to 1,421 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 5%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 33.66087, -117.64182, where El Toro Road leaves Saddleback Church Road, and tops out at Santiago Canyon Road at 33.69836, -117.6359.

Is El Toro 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.

• Harding Truck TrailHC · dirt · 9.2 mi at 6.4% · 3,091 ft · starts 3.7 mi away
• Maple Springs RoadHC · 13 mi at 5.1% · 3,530 ft · starts 6.3 mi away
• Pacific Island Drive from Alicia ParkwayCat 3 · 1.2 mi at 8.4% · 545 ft · starts 10 mi away
• Temple Hills DriveCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 8.2% · 751 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Park AvenueCat 3 · 2.0 mi at 9.3% · 965 ft · starts 12 mi away
• Nyes PlaceCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 10.2% · 732 ft · starts 12 mi away
• Indian Truck TrailCat 1 · dirt · 7.0 mi at 6.8% · 2,530 ft · starts 12 mi away
• Pacific Island Drive from Crown Valley ParkwayCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 8.2% · 679 ft · starts 12 mi away