North Shore Boulevard Climb
- long (5.2 km)
- 3.2 mi
- long (5.2 km)
- of climbing (287 m)
- 942 ft
- of climbing (287 m)
- average grade
- 5.5%
- average grade
- steepest 500 m
- 7.2%
- steepest 500 m
Elevation profile
From 6,247 ft at the bottom to 7,188 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 Shore Boulevard this week
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Is it safe to bike up North Shore Boulevard?
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: 1 bike crash was reported on or beside North Shore Boulevard along the climb from 2021–2025, 1 of them serious or fatal.
Common questions about North Shore Boulevard
- How long and steep is the North Shore Boulevard climb?
- 3.2 miles (5.2 km) at 5.5% on average, climbing 942 ft (287 m) from 6,247 ft to 7,188 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 7.2%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.
- Where does the climb start and finish?
- It starts at 39.23794, -120.03153, where North Shore Boulevard leaves North Lake Boulevard, and tops out at Brockway Summit at 39.26184, -120.07193.
- Is North Shore Boulevard 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.
Other climbs nearby
- Martis Peak RoadCat 2 · 4.0 mi at 8% · 1,699 ft · starts 3.1 mi away
- Mount Watson Boulevard from Sawmill FlatCat 3 · 3.0 mi at 4.8% · 748 ft · starts 4.3 mi away
- Highlands View RoadCat 3 · 2.7 mi at 4.2% · 607 ft · starts 5.2 mi away
- Mount Watson Boulevard from Deer Creek RoadCat 3 · 3.9 mi at 4.4% · 919 ft · starts 7.8 mi away
- Somerset Drive near TruckeeCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 4.8% · 564 ft · starts 8.1 mi away
- The StrandCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 7.3% · 594 ft · starts 8.8 mi away
- Alpine Meadows RoadCat 3 · 3.4 mi at 4% · 722 ft · starts 9.4 mi away
- Courchevel RoadCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 5% · 594 ft · starts 11 mi away
Places to ride to nearby
Found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation; ranked on shape only. Category 3: 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.