Mad River 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 Mad River Road climb?

16 miles (25.7 km) at 3% on average, climbing 2,500 ft (762 m) from 2,779 ft to 5,279 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 14.3%. That makes it a Category 1 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 40.20976, -123.29462, and tops out on the road at 40.09934, -123.14822.

Is Mad River 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.

• Wildwood-Mad River Road from Barry Creek RoadCat 2 · 8.6 mi at 4% · 1,837 ft · starts 1.7 mi away
• Dashields Creek RoadCat 1 · dirt · 4.9 mi at 9.2% · 2,365 ft · starts 5.0 mi away
• Clover Gulch RoadCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 10.3% · 925 ft · starts 6.3 mi away
• Long Ridge Road from Hoaglin RoadCat 3 · 2.6 mi at 5% · 686 ft · starts 7.6 mi away
• White Mountain Road from Mad River RoadCat 3 · 1.0 mi at 13.3% · 673 ft · starts 8.2 mi away
• Terral RoadCat 2 · 1.8 mi at 13.5% · 1,257 ft · starts 8.7 mi away
• Ruth Zenia Road from Hetten Creek RoadCat 2 · 3.3 mi at 6.8% · 1,175 ft · starts 8.9 mi away
• Coffee Pot RoadCat 2 · 6.7 mi at 4.3% · 1,532 ft · starts 9.0 mi away