Ralston Avenue Climb from Elm Avenue
- long (3.7 km)
- 2.3 mi
- long (3.7 km)
- of climbing (177 m)
- 581 ft
- of climbing (177 m)
- average grade
- 4.8%
- average grade
- steepest 500 m
- 9.1%
- steepest 500 m
Elevation profile
From 59 ft at the bottom to 640 ft at the top. Grades are averaged over each half kilometre, from USGS elevation data, so short ramps can be steeper than they show.
Weather at the top of Ralston Avenue this week
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Is it safe to bike up Ralston Avenue?
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: 1 bike crash was reported on or beside Ralston Avenue along the climb from 2021–2025.
Common questions about Ralston Avenue
- How long and steep is the Ralston Avenue from Elm Avenue climb?
- 2.3 miles (3.7 km) at 4.8% on average, climbing 581 ft (177 m) from 59 ft to 640 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 9.1%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.
- Where does the climb start and finish?
- It starts at 37.57238, -122.35368, where Ralston Avenue leaves Elm Avenue, and tops out at Barbara Way at 37.55125, -122.37271.
- Is Ralston Avenue 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.
Other climbs nearby
- Skyfarm Drive from Redington RoadCat 3 · 1.3 mi at 7.8% · 551 ft · starts 0.8 mi away
- Hayne RoadCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 4.9% · 558 ft · starts 1.0 mi away
- Hillside Drive from Balboa AvenueCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 5.4% · 541 ft · starts 1.4 mi away
- Trousdale DriveCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 6.8% · 568 ft · starts 2.2 mi away
- Millbrae AvenueCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 5.5% · 548 ft · starts 2.6 mi away
- Hillcrest BoulevardCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 6.5% · 594 ft · starts 2.9 mi away
- Half Moon Bay RoadCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 5.8% · 564 ft · starts 4.3 mi away
- Skyline Boulevard from San Mateo RoadCat 2 · 8.0 mi at 3.5% · 1,473 ft · starts 5.4 mi away
Bike crash hotspots nearby
Found from OpenStreetMap roads and USGS 3DEP elevation; ranked on shape only. Category 3: 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. Crashes: bike crashes reported within 100 ft of the climb, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), counted only where the report has map coordinates. Weather: National Weather Service. Access from OpenStreetMap tags; obey posted signs. How the data works.