Harlan Mountain 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 Harlan Mountain Road climb?

4.4 miles (7.1 km) at 8.1% on average, climbing 1,880 ft (573 m) from 919 ft to 2,799 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 18.9%. That makes it a Category 2 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 36.69173, -121.34087, where Harlan Mountain Road leaves Limekiln Road, and ends where the road ends at 36.70218, -121.40403.

Is Harlan Mountain 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.

• Thompson CreekCat 2 · 3.4 mi at 8% · 1,427 ft · starts 1.0 mi away
• McPhail GradeCat 2 · 2.7 mi at 8.2% · 1,188 ft · starts 1.6 mi away
• Harlin CreekCat 2 · 2.1 mi at 10% · 1,115 ft · starts 2.6 mi away
• Murphy RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.8% · 604 ft · starts 5.0 mi away
• Quien Sabe RoadCat 2 · 7.5 mi at 3.6% · 1,417 ft · starts 6.5 mi away
• Santa Anita RoadCat 3 · 4.9 mi at 3.4% · 873 ft · starts 8.4 mi away
• Encinal RoadCat 3 · 3.1 mi at 3.4% · 545 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Quinn Canyon RoadCat 2 · 2.0 mi at 10.9% · 1,132 ft · starts 12 mi away