North Lake Avenue 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: 5 bike crashes were reported on or beside North Lake Avenue along the climb from 2021–2025, 1 of them serious or fatal. The most were at Lake Ave. (2600 N) & Palm St. (700 E.) (3). Of the 5 where the cyclist's direction along the climb can be read, 5 were coming down and 0 going up.

1. 3 crashes · 1 serious or fatal

   Lake Ave. (2600 N) & Palm St. (700 E.)

   A mix of crash types

   See it on the map

How long and steep is the North Lake Avenue climb?

3.5 miles (5.7 km) at 5.1% on average, climbing 942 ft (287 m) from 860 ft to 1,801 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 9.5%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 34.15299, -118.13249, where North Lake Avenue leaves East Maple Street, and tops out at East Loma Alta Drive at 34.20395, -118.13071.

Is North Lake Avenue 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.

• North Holliston AvenueCat 3 · 2.8 mi at 4.4% · 643 ft · starts 0.5 mi away
• North Fair Oaks AvenueCat 3 · 4.4 mi at 3.6% · 830 ft · starts 1.1 mi away
• Sierra Madre Villa AvenueCat 3 · 2.0 mi at 5.9% · 617 ft · starts 2.9 mi away
• Mount Wilson Toll RoadHC · dirt · 8.7 mi at 9.5% · 4,383 ft · starts 3.2 mi away
• Hastings Ranch DriveCat 3 · 1.8 mi at 6.4% · 591 ft · starts 3.3 mi away
• Chaney TrailCat 3 · 1.1 mi at 10.5% · 623 ft · starts 3.6 mi away
• Mount Lowe MotorwayHC · 5.7 mi at 8.8% · 2,667 ft · starts 4.4 mi away
• Camino San RafaelCat 3 · 0.9 mi at 12.2% · 594 ft · starts 4.7 mi away