Emerald Bay 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 Emerald Bay Road climb?

1.7 miles (2.7 km) at 6.3% on average, climbing 554 ft (169 m) from 6,270 ft to 6,824 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 7.3%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 38.99646, -120.10993, and tops out on the road at 38.97644, -120.10116.

Is Emerald Bay 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.

• Lester Beach RoadCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 5.4% · 531 ft · starts 0.6 mi away
• Angora Ridge RoadCat 3 · 3.3 mi at 4.3% · 732 ft · starts 7.7 mi away
• Barker Pass RoadCat 2 · 6.9 mi at 4.2% · 1,526 ft · starts 8.5 mi away
• Keller RoadCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 7.8% · 607 ft · starts 9.3 mi away
• Courchevel RoadCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 5% · 594 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Fountain Place RoadCat 2 · 4.5 mi at 5.3% · 1,260 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Route 50 from Pomo StreetCat 2 · 3.6 mi at 5.5% · 1,050 ft · starts 11 mi away
• South Upper Truckee RoadCat 3 · 3.3 mi at 3% · 535 ft · starts 13 mi away