San Joaquin Hills Road Climb from Back Bay Drive

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: 9 bike crashes were reported on or beside San Joaquin Hills Road along the climb from 2021–2025, 2 of them serious or fatal. The most were at Back Bay Dr & San Joaquin Hills Rd (3).

1. 3 crashes · 1 serious or fatal

   Back Bay Dr & San Joaquin Hills Rd

   A mix of crash types

   See it on the map
2. 3 crashes · 1 serious or fatal

   Jamboree Rd & San Joaquin Hills Rd

   A mix of crash types

   Traffic is posted at about 55 mph.

   See it on the map

How long and steep is the San Joaquin Hills Road from Back Bay Drive climb?

3.4 miles (5.5 km) at 3.4% on average, climbing 607 ft (185 m) from 16 ft to 623 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 6.8%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 33.62535, -117.88453, where San Joaquin Hills Road leaves Back Bay Drive, and tops out at Newport Ridge Drive West at 33.60675, -117.836.

Is San Joaquin Hills 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 Joaquin Hills Road from Park Newport DriveCat 3 · 3.3 mi at 3.1% · 535 ft · starts 0.1 mi away
• Park AvenueCat 3 · 2.0 mi at 9.3% · 965 ft · starts 8.2 mi away
• Temple Hills DriveCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 8.2% · 751 ft · starts 8.8 mi away
• Nyes PlaceCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 10.2% · 732 ft · starts 10 mi away
• Pacific Island Drive from Alicia ParkwayCat 3 · 1.2 mi at 8.4% · 545 ft · starts 12 mi away
• Pacific Island Drive from Crown Valley ParkwayCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 8.2% · 679 ft · starts 13 mi away
• El Toro Road from Saddleback Church RoadCat 3 · 3.6 mi at 3.2% · 604 ft · starts 14 mi away
• Maple Springs RoadHC · 13 mi at 5.1% · 3,530 ft · starts 15 mi away