Gaviota Peak Fire Road Climb
- long (5.0 km)
- 3.1 mi
- long (5.0 km)
- of climbing (650 m)
- 2,133 ft
- of climbing (650 m)
- average grade
- 13%
- average grade
- steepest 500 m
- 16.7%
- steepest 500 m
Elevation profile
From 302 ft at the bottom to 2,434 ft at the top. Grades are averaged over each half kilometre, from USGS elevation data, so short ramps can be steeper than they show.
Weather at the top of Gaviota Peak Fire Road this week
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Is it safe to bike up Gaviota Peak Fire 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. Most of this climb is a dirt road, and falls away from public roads rarely reach police reports. What the records show: no bike crashes were reported along the climb from 2021–2025.
Common questions about Gaviota Peak Fire Road
- How long and steep is the Gaviota Peak Fire Road climb?
- 3.1 miles (5.0 km) at 13% on average, climbing 2,133 ft (650 m) from 302 ft to 2,434 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 16.7%. That makes it a Category 1 climb.
- Where does the climb start and finish?
- It starts at 34.50511, -120.22601, where Gaviota Peak Fire Road leaves Gaviota Park Boundary, and tops out at Gaviota Peak at 34.50185, -120.19876.
- Is Gaviota Peak Fire Road paved?
- Mostly not: OpenStreetMap tags 99% of the climb as dirt or gravel. Dirt roads can be closed in fire season or after rain, so check with the land manager.
- 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.
Other climbs nearby
- Cabrillo Highway near SolvangCat 3 · 2.1 mi at 6.9% · 758 ft · starts 0.6 mi away
- El Camino Real near SolvangCat 3 · 4.4 mi at 3.7% · 866 ft · starts 1.7 mi away
- Refugio RoadCat 1 · 6.9 mi at 6.1% · 2,218 ft · starts 9.3 mi away
- West Camino Cielo from Refugio RoadCat 2 · 6.1 mi at 5.7% · 1,831 ft · starts 9.5 mi away
- Drum Canyon Road near BuelltonCat 3 · 6.0 mi at 3.1% · 991 ft · starts 9.6 mi away
- Jalama Road near LompocCat 3 · 4.7 mi at 3.3% · 827 ft · starts 12 mi away
- Santa Rita Road from Campbell RoadCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 6.4% · 748 ft · starts 12 mi away
- Santa Rita Road near BuelltonCat 3 · 3.0 mi at 5.8% · 932 ft · starts 13 mi away
Places to ride to nearby
Found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation; ranked on shape only. Category 1: 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. Crashes: bike crashes reported within 100 ft of the climb, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), counted only where the report has map coordinates. Weather: National Weather Service. Access from OpenStreetMap tags; obey posted signs. How the data works.