Long Canyon 4WD Trail Climb
- long (6.6 km)
- 4.1 mi
- long (6.6 km)
- of climbing (715 m)
- 2,346 ft
- of climbing (715 m)
- average grade
- 10.8%
- average grade
- steepest 500 m
- 18.5%
- steepest 500 m
Elevation profile
From 5,154 ft at the bottom to 7,500 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 Long Canyon 4WD Trail this week
Loading forecast…
Is it safe to bike up Long Canyon 4WD Trail?
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. Most of this climb is a dirt road, and falls away from public roads rarely reach police reports. What the records show: no bike crashes were reported along the climb from 2021–2025.
Common questions about Long Canyon 4WD Trail
- How long and steep is the Long Canyon 4WD Trail climb?
- 4.1 miles (6.6 km) at 10.8% on average, climbing 2,346 ft (715 m) from 5,154 ft to 7,500 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 18.5%. That makes it a Category 1 climb.
- Where does the climb start and finish?
- It starts at 38.74738, -120.25219, where Long Canyon 4WD Trail leaves Bald Mountain, and tops out on the road at 38.76384, -120.19896.
- Is Long Canyon 4WD Trail paved?
- Mostly not: OpenStreetMap tags 100% of the climb as dirt or gravel. Dirt roads can be closed in fire season or after rain, so check with the land manager.
- 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
- Silver Fork Road near South Lake TahoeCat 2 · 6.3 mi at 3.9% · 1,319 ft · starts 2.9 mi away
- Wrights Lake RoadCat 2 · 3.9 mi at 6.7% · 1,371 ft · starts 3.3 mi away
- Alder Creek Road from Carpenter Creek RoadCat 2 · 4.6 mi at 5.2% · 1,273 ft · starts 4.1 mi away
- Silver Fork Road near South Lake TahoeCat 3 · 3.5 mi at 4.4% · 823 ft · starts 4.1 mi away
- Carpenter Creek RoadCat 1 · dirt · 6.2 mi at 6.8% · 2,224 ft · starts 4.2 mi away
- Light Canyon RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.6% · 581 ft · starts 5.3 mi away
- Silver Fork Road from Silver Fork Spur RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.4% · 554 ft · starts 5.6 mi away
- Packsaddle Pass RoadCat 2 · 5.4 mi at 5.3% · 1,512 ft · starts 6.2 mi away
Found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation; ranked on shape only. Category 1: 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.