Ponderosa Way Climb near Amador City

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 Ponderosa Way near Amador City climb?

1.5 miles (2.5 km) at 6.8% on average, climbing 554 ft (169 m) from 2,388 ft to 2,943 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 9.7%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 38.48797, -120.62886, and tops out on the road at 38.49846, -120.6365.

Is Ponderosa Way 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.

• Black Oak DriveCat 3 · 1.2 mi at 8.9% · 554 ft · starts 1.4 mi away
• Barone RoadCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 8% · 699 ft · starts 2.8 mi away
• Rams Horn GradeCat 3 · 2.8 mi at 5.9% · 866 ft · starts 3.0 mi away
• Old Giannini Ranch Road near JacksonCat 3 · 1.3 mi at 12.1% · 850 ft · starts 3.1 mi away
• Charleston RoadCat 3 · 1.1 mi at 10.7% · 630 ft · starts 3.1 mi away
• Volcano Pioneer RoadCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 5% · 594 ft · starts 3.6 mi away
• Old Giannini Ranch Road from Volcano Pioneer RoadCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 9% · 699 ft · starts 3.9 mi away
• Hale RoadCat 2 · 2.8 mi at 7.1% · 1,060 ft · starts 4.0 mi away