Rider 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 Rider Road climb?

2.5 miles (4.0 km) at 5.4% on average, climbing 722 ft (220 m) from 410 ft to 1,132 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 7.5%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 37.01615, -121.81577, where Rider Road leaves Eureka Canyon Road, and tops out at Enos Lane at 37.02915, -121.84392.

Is Rider 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 Evans RoadCat 3 · 1.0 mi at 13.2% · 692 ft · starts 0.6 mi away
• Caudill RoadCat 3 · 0.8 mi at 12.9% · 561 ft · starts 1.2 mi away
• Eureka Canyon RoadCat 2 · 8.2 mi at 3.7% · 1,601 ft · starts 1.4 mi away
• Tindall Ranch RoadCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 9.2% · 771 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Pleasant Valley Road from Freedom BoulevardCat 3 · 2.7 mi at 3.9% · 551 ft · starts 2.8 mi away
• Trout Gulch RoadCat 3 · 3.5 mi at 3.9% · 732 ft · starts 4.8 mi away
• Mount Madonna RoadCat 2 · 3.9 mi at 7.5% · 1,562 ft · starts 4.9 mi away
• Aptos Creek Fire RoadCat 1 · dirt · 9.5 mi at 4.7% · 2,343 ft · starts 4.9 mi away