Old Ranch 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 Old Ranch Road climb?

0.7 miles (1.2 km) at 13.9% on average, climbing 541 ft (165 m) from 1,516 ft to 2,057 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 16.2%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 37.14454, -122.00107, and tops out at Beehive Peak at 37.14257, -121.99429.

Is Old Ranch 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.

• Old Logging RoadCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 8.8% · 856 ft · starts 0.6 mi away
• Upper Zayante RoadCat 3 · 2.8 mi at 6.6% · 965 ft · starts 1.2 mi away
• Hutchinson RoadCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 6.8% · 584 ft · starts 1.3 mi away
• Santa Cruz Highway from Old Santa Cruz HighwayCat 3 · 3.9 mi at 4.4% · 899 ft · starts 1.8 mi away
• Santa Cruz Highway from Idylwild RoadCat 3 · 3.3 mi at 4.5% · 781 ft · starts 1.9 mi away
• Fern RidgeCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 9.9% · 722 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Kingham Ranch RoadCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 8.9% · 712 ft · starts 2.4 mi away
• Schulties RoadCat 3 · 3.2 mi at 3.8% · 650 ft · starts 2.7 mi away