North Coast Ridge Road Climb
- long (21.8 km)
- 14 mi
- long (21.8 km)
- of climbing (895 m)
- 2,936 ft
- of climbing (895 m)
- average grade
- 4.1%
- average grade
- steepest 500 m
- 9.3%
- steepest 500 m
Elevation profile
From 1,050 ft at the bottom to 3,986 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 North Coast Ridge Road this week
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Is it safe to bike up North Coast Ridge Road?
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 North Coast Ridge Road
- How long and steep is the North Coast Ridge Road climb?
- 14 miles (21.8 km) at 4.1% on average, climbing 2,936 ft (895 m) from 1,050 ft to 3,986 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 9.3%. That makes it a Hors catégorie climb.
- Where does the climb start and finish?
- It starts at 36.22645, -121.76153, where North Coast Ridge Road leaves Coast Ridge Road, and tops out on the road at 36.17967, -121.64013.
- Is North Coast Ridge Road 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
- Front Hill RoadCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 8.4% · 1,010 ft · starts 2.5 mi away
- Clear Ridge Road near Carmel-by-the-SeaCat 2 · 2.6 mi at 7.8% · 1,070 ft · starts 2.8 mi away
- Middle Road from Bear Killed Two Calves Creek RoadCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 11.4% · 892 ft · starts 3.1 mi away
- Cabrillo Highway near Carmel-by-the-SeaCat 3 · 3.2 mi at 4.6% · 781 ft · starts 3.2 mi away
- Clear Ridge Road from Cabrillo HighwayCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 11.5% · 1,024 ft · starts 4.1 mi away
- Dolan Ridge RoadCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 10.2% · 915 ft · starts 10 mi away
- Tassajara Road near SoledadHC · 4.9 mi at 11.8% · 3,064 ft · starts 12 mi away
- Tassajara Road from Jeffery RoadCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 6.5% · 545 ft · starts 12 mi away
Found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation; ranked on shape only. Hors catégorie: 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.