Salinas 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 Salinas Road climb?

3.7 miles (6.0 km) at 3.9% on average, climbing 768 ft (234 m) from 249 ft to 1,017 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 6.4%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 36.83472, -121.53242, where Salinas Road leaves Old Stage Coach Road, and tops out on the road at 36.82196, -121.57011.

Is Salinas 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.

• San Juan Canyon RoadCat 1 · 9.8 mi at 4.9% · 2,516 ft · starts 0.6 mi away
• Quinn Canyon RoadCat 2 · 2.0 mi at 10.9% · 1,132 ft · starts 2.6 mi away
• San Juan Grade RoadCat 3 · 4.6 mi at 3.2% · 778 ft · starts 5.8 mi away
• Oak Ridge DriveCat 3 · 1.1 mi at 9.5% · 531 ft · starts 5.8 mi away
• Vanoni Road from Riverside RoadCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 9.3% · 748 ft · starts 7.8 mi away
• Vanoni Road from Silliman RoadCat 3 · 3.4 mi at 4.6% · 814 ft · starts 10 mi away
• Lone Tree RoadHC · 11 mi at 4.8% · 2,690 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Comstock Road from Asuymas CourtCat 3 · 3.2 mi at 4.1% · 682 ft · starts 11 mi away