Jack Shaw 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 Jack Shaw Road climb?

1.9 miles (3.0 km) at 6.1% on average, climbing 594 ft (181 m) from 784 ft to 1,378 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 9.6%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 40.66254, -123.83818, and tops out at Mountain View Road at 40.67443, -123.86367.

Is Jack Shaw 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.

• Kneeland Road near FortunaCat 3 · 2.9 mi at 3.8% · 574 ft · starts 4.5 mi away
• Gorden RoadCat 3 · 1.2 mi at 10% · 646 ft · starts 4.9 mi away
• Kneeland Road near ArcataCat 2 · 3.3 mi at 7.7% · 1,332 ft · starts 5.7 mi away
• Kneeland Road near ArcataCat 3 · 2.1 mi at 6.6% · 745 ft · starts 5.7 mi away
• Tom Shaw RoadCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 5.4% · 636 ft · starts 6.0 mi away
• Tim Mullen RoadCat 3 · 2.8 mi at 5.4% · 801 ft · starts 6.5 mi away
• Butler Valley RoadCat 2 · 7.8 mi at 4.6% · 1,900 ft · starts 7.5 mi away
• Powerline Road from Maple Creek RoadCat 2 · 5.4 mi at 5.9% · 1,673 ft · starts 7.5 mi away