Happy Canyon 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 Happy Canyon Road climb?

16 miles (26.5 km) at 4.4% on average, climbing 3,786 ft (1,154 m) from 663 ft to 4,449 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 10.6%. That makes it a Hors catégorie climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 34.61362, -120.02446, and tops out at Figueroa Mountain Road at 34.7242, -119.95005.

Is Happy Canyon 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.

• West Camino Cielo from Refugio RoadCat 2 · 6.1 mi at 5.7% · 1,831 ft · starts 5.9 mi away
• Figueroa Mountain RoadHC · 16 mi at 4.3% · 3,602 ft · starts 6.5 mi away
• Stagecoach RoadCat 2 · 5.0 mi at 5.1% · 1,348 ft · starts 10 mi away
• Refugio RoadCat 1 · 6.9 mi at 6.1% · 2,218 ft · starts 10 mi away
• Chumash Highway near GoletaCat 2 · 2.3 mi at 8.7% · 1,073 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Zaca RoadCat 2 · 5.2 mi at 4.1% · 1,125 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Sunset Valley RoadCat 2 · 5.3 mi at 4.7% · 1,309 ft · starts 12 mi away
• East Camino CieloCat 3 · 2.0 mi at 5.6% · 587 ft · starts 14 mi away