Rouse Hill 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. Most of this climb is a dirt road, and falls away from public roads rarely reach police reports. What the records show: no bike crashes were reported along the climb from 2021–2025.

How long and steep is the Rouse Hill Road climb?

11 miles (17.7 km) at 5.6% on average, climbing 3,261 ft (994 m) from 1,906 ft to 5,167 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 11%. That makes it a Hors catégorie climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 33.73836, -116.83867, where Rouse Hill Road leaves Idyllwild National Forest Highway, and tops out at Rouse Hill at 33.67168, -116.77162.

Is Rouse Hill Road paved?

Mostly not: OpenStreetMap tags 97% of the climb as dirt or gravel. Dirt roads can be closed in fire season or after rain, so check with the land manager.

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.

• Idyllwild National Forest HighwayHC · 13 mi at 4.5% · 3,100 ft · starts 0.4 mi away
• Indian Canyon RoadHC · dirt · 9.7 mi at 6.4% · 3,248 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Idyllwild Control RoadHC · dirt · 6.1 mi at 8.6% · 2,772 ft · starts 2.5 mi away
• Rawlings RoadCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 6.7% · 564 ft · starts 5.2 mi away
• Black Mountain Road from Banning-Idyllwild Panoramic HighwayCat 1 · dirt · 6.6 mi at 6.6% · 2,297 ft · starts 6.2 mi away
• Banning-Idyllwild Panoramic Highway near Palm SpringsCat 2 · 4.4 mi at 4.5% · 1,056 ft · starts 6.6 mi away
• Banning-Idyllwild Panoramic Highway near Palm SpringsCat 2 · 7.3 mi at 4.5% · 1,745 ft · starts 6.8 mi away
• Pinecrest AvenueCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 8.3% · 659 ft · starts 7.1 mi away