Gifford Springs Road Climb
- long (2.1 km)
- 1.3 mi
- long (2.1 km)
- of climbing (179 m)
- 587 ft
- of climbing (179 m)
- average grade
- 8.6%
- average grade
- steepest 500 m
- 11.2%
- steepest 500 m
Elevation profile
From 2,598 ft at the bottom to 3,186 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 Gifford Springs Road this week
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Is it safe to bike up Gifford Springs 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. What the records show: no bike crashes were reported along the climb from 2021–2025.
Common questions about Gifford Springs Road
- How long and steep is the Gifford Springs Road climb?
- 1.3 miles (2.1 km) at 8.6% on average, climbing 587 ft (179 m) from 2,598 ft to 3,186 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 11.2%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.
- Where does the climb start and finish?
- It starts at 38.81451, -122.71211, where Gifford Springs Road leaves Meadow View Way, and tops out on the road at 38.81769, -122.69585.
- Is Gifford Springs 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.
Other climbs nearby
- Saw Mill RoadCat 3 · 2.5 mi at 7.6% · 997 ft · starts 2.1 mi away
- Ford Flat RoadCat 3 · 2.6 mi at 4.4% · 610 ft · starts 2.1 mi away
- Socrates Mine Road near ClearlakeCat 3 · 1.2 mi at 9.2% · 591 ft · starts 2.5 mi away
- Socrates Mine Road near ClearlakeCat 2 · 3.5 mi at 9.7% · 1,798 ft · starts 2.7 mi away
- Castle Spring RoadCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 8.7% · 1,004 ft · starts 3.2 mi away
- Boggs Mountain SpringCat 2 · 2.5 mi at 12.1% · 1,604 ft · starts 3.4 mi away
- Bottle Rock Road near ClearlakeCat 3 · 3.1 mi at 3.9% · 630 ft · starts 3.5 mi away
- Observation RoadCat 3 · 1.3 mi at 9.6% · 650 ft · starts 3.5 mi away
Found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation; ranked on shape only. Category 3: 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.