McKay's Point 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 McKay's Point Road climb?

1.3 miles (2.2 km) at 12.9% on average, climbing 912 ft (278 m) from 3,406 ft to 4,318 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 18.3%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 38.24516, -120.29031, and tops out at Forest Route 5N35 at 38.24627, -120.29951.

Is McKay's Point 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.

• New McKays Dam Road near SonoraCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 8.3% · 1,010 ft · starts 0.9 mi away
• New McKays Dam Road near SonoraCat 2 · 2.7 mi at 8.3% · 1,181 ft · starts 1.0 mi away
• Big Trees Parkway near SonoraCat 2 · 4.0 mi at 6% · 1,247 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Big Trees Parkway near SonoraCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 6.3% · 801 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Upper Moran RoadCat 3 · 2.0 mi at 6.7% · 696 ft · starts 2.7 mi away
• Candy Rock RoadCat 3 · 4.2 mi at 4.4% · 961 ft · starts 3.5 mi away
• Highway 4 from Frontage RoadCat 2 · 12 mi at 3.2% · 2,014 ft · starts 4.0 mi away
• Love Creek RoadCat 2 · 6.2 mi at 3.4% · 1,099 ft · starts 4.1 mi away