Saint Louis 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 Saint Louis Road climb?

2.5 miles (4.0 km) at 5.7% on average, climbing 758 ft (231 m) from 4,386 ft to 5,144 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 9%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 39.69141, -120.93867, and tops out on the road at 39.68712, -120.96258.

Is Saint Louis 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.

• Port Wine Ridge RoadCat 3 · 2.5 mi at 4.1% · 535 ft · starts 2.3 mi away
• Port Wine RoadCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 8.1% · 817 ft · starts 2.5 mi away
• Quincy la Porte RoadCat 2 · 6.0 mi at 3.4% · 1,083 ft · starts 2.5 mi away
• Quincy la Porte Road from Main StreetCat 3 · 2.9 mi at 4.8% · 735 ft · starts 2.6 mi away
• Saddleback Lookout RoadCat 3 · 0.7 mi at 13.8% · 535 ft · starts 5.5 mi away
• Port Wine Ridge Road near Nevada CityCat 2 · 4.5 mi at 5.2% · 1,224 ft · starts 7.2 mi away
• Scales RoadCat 2 · 4.2 mi at 5% · 1,112 ft · starts 8.3 mi away
• Cleghorn Bar RoadCat 2 · 5.9 mi at 4% · 1,250 ft · starts 8.4 mi away