Onion Valley 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 Onion Valley Road climb?

13 miles (20.6 km) at 7.7% on average, climbing 5,210 ft (1,588 m) from 3,957 ft to 9,167 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 12.4%. That makes it a Hors catégorie climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 36.80109, -118.20315, where Onion Valley Road leaves West Market Street, and ends where the road ends at 36.7728, -118.33937.

Is Onion Valley 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.

• Mazourka Canyon RoadHC · dirt · 15 mi at 6.5% · 5,118 ft · starts 4.8 mi away
• Division Creek RoadHC · dirt · 8.6 mi at 9.8% · 4,459 ft · starts 9.9 mi away
• Mazourka Comm Site - Admin TrailCat 1 · dirt · 3.6 mi at 12.1% · 2,267 ft · starts 10 mi away
• Hogback Road from Moffat Ranch RoadCat 1 · dirt · 6.6 mi at 6.1% · 2,142 ft · starts 10 mi away
• Goodale Loop RoadCat 1 · dirt · 4.9 mi at 9.1% · 2,365 ft · starts 12 mi away
• Horseshoe Meadows Road from Whitney Portal RoadHC · 16 mi at 5.8% · 5,046 ft · starts 15 mi away