North South Road Climb near Placerville

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 North South Road near Placerville climb?

2.5 miles (4.0 km) at 7.6% on average, climbing 997 ft (304 m) from 4,629 ft to 5,627 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 10.7%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 38.68029, -120.41644, and tops out at Mormon Emigrant Trail at 38.70376, -120.40191.

Is North South 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.

• Light Canyon RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.6% · 581 ft · starts 4.8 mi away
• North South Road from Leoni RoadCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 7.9% · 945 ft · starts 5.2 mi away
• Meiss Pass Rd from Meiss Grade RdCat 3 · 3.0 mi at 4.7% · 755 ft · starts 5.5 mi away
• Bonnetti RoadCat 3 · 3.8 mi at 5% · 997 ft · starts 5.7 mi away
• Cat Creek Road NorthCat 3 · 5.7 mi at 3.1% · 925 ft · starts 5.9 mi away
• Leoni RoadCat 2 · 4.7 mi at 4.7% · 1,168 ft · starts 6.1 mi away
• Alder Creek Road from 11N53Cat 3 · 1.0 mi at 10.4% · 548 ft · starts 6.3 mi away
• Sciaroni RoadCat 3 · 1.8 mi at 9% · 833 ft · starts 6.3 mi away