Pike City 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 Pike City Road climb?

2.0 miles (3.3 km) at 5.9% on average, climbing 633 ft (193 m) from 3,051 ft to 3,684 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 8.7%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 39.42574, -121.00954, and ends where the road ends at 39.44349, -120.99326.

Is Pike City 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.

• Our House Dam RoadCat 2 · 1.7 mi at 13.4% · 1,184 ft · starts 1.2 mi away
• Camptonville RoadCat 2 · 3.7 mi at 6.1% · 1,191 ft · starts 2.4 mi away
• Henness Pass Road from Cleveland AvenueCat 1 · 9.8 mi at 4.3% · 2,234 ft · starts 3.0 mi away
• Cruzon Grade RoadCat 3 · 3.2 mi at 4.8% · 807 ft · starts 3.2 mi away
• Ridge Road from Celestial Valley RoadHC · 14 mi at 4.4% · 3,176 ft · starts 3.3 mi away
• Weeds Point RoadCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 4.6% · 545 ft · starts 3.4 mi away
• Pendola RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.5% · 577 ft · starts 3.5 mi away
• Jungle TrailCat 3 · 0.5 mi at 22.9% · 640 ft · starts 4.0 mi away