Hidden Valley 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 Hidden Valley Road climb?

1.8 miles (2.9 km) at 6.1% on average, climbing 577 ft (176 m) from 233 ft to 810 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 10.6%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 37.01314, -121.96308, where Hidden Valley Road leaves North Rodeo Gulch Road, and ends where the road ends at 37.03493, -121.97287.

Is Hidden Valley 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.

• North Rodeo Gulch RoadCat 3 · 2.1 mi at 5.7% · 633 ft · starts 0.3 mi away
• Glen Haven RoadCat 3 · 3.0 mi at 4.2% · 659 ft · starts 1.3 mi away
• Granite Creek RoadCat 3 · 2.8 mi at 4% · 604 ft · starts 1.9 mi away
• Soquel San Jose RoadCat 2 · 6.5 mi at 4% · 1,378 ft · starts 2.6 mi away
• Vine Hill RoadCat 3 · 3.0 mi at 5% · 778 ft · starts 2.9 mi away
• Aptos Creek Fire RoadCat 1 · dirt · 9.5 mi at 4.7% · 2,343 ft · starts 3.3 mi away
• El Rancho DriveCat 3 · 3.2 mi at 3.1% · 528 ft · starts 3.3 mi away
• Jarvis RoadCat 3 · 2.1 mi at 6.4% · 696 ft · starts 3.4 mi away