Montevina 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 Montevina Road climb?

3.9 miles (6.3 km) at 8.8% on average, climbing 1,811 ft (552 m) from 659 ft to 2,470 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 14.8%. That makes it a Category 2 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 37.196, -121.99383, and tops out at Montevina Ridge Trail at 37.21575, -122.02589.

Is Montevina Road paved?

Mostly: OpenStreetMap tags 93% of the climb as paved, and the rest as dirt or gravel.

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.

• Black RoadCat 2 · 4.6 mi at 7.4% · 1,785 ft · starts 0.1 mi away
• Bear Creek Road near Monte SerenoCat 2 · 4.1 mi at 7.1% · 1,535 ft · starts 0.5 mi away
• Soda Springs Road from Alma Bridge RoadCat 3 · 2.5 mi at 5.8% · 768 ft · starts 1.1 mi away
• Gist RoadCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 9.4% · 673 ft · starts 1.7 mi away
• Santa Cruz Highway from Idylwild RoadCat 3 · 3.3 mi at 4.5% · 781 ft · starts 1.8 mi away
• Soda Springs Road near Los GatosCat 2 · 3.7 mi at 8.6% · 1,670 ft · starts 1.9 mi away
• Cypress WayCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 9.7% · 833 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Overlook RoadCat 3 · 2.1 mi at 6.8% · 732 ft · starts 2.2 mi away