Santa Rosa Road Climb from Pines To Palms Highway

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 Santa Rosa Road from Pines To Palms Highway climb?

12 miles (20.1 km) at 5.6% on average, climbing 3,704 ft (1,129 m) from 4,587 ft to 8,291 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 12%. That makes it a Hors catégorie climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 33.56759, -116.51154, where Santa Rosa Road leaves Pines To Palms Highway, and ends at a gate at 33.52269, -116.42177.

Is Santa Rosa Road paved?

Mostly not: OpenStreetMap tags 100% 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.

• Sawmill Road from Pidgeon Springs RoadCat 1 · dirt · 5.3 mi at 8% · 2,231 ft · starts 3.8 mi away
• Carrizo RoadCat 3 · 2.7 mi at 5.2% · 735 ft · starts 6.0 mi away
• Burnt Valley RoadCat 3 · 2.0 mi at 5.4% · 574 ft · starts 7.4 mi away
• Morris Ranch RoadCat 3 · 3.6 mi at 5.1% · 971 ft · starts 7.5 mi away
• Hill StreetCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 5.5% · 689 ft · starts 8.9 mi away
• Chapman RoadCat 3 · 2.2 mi at 4.9% · 581 ft · starts 9.6 mi away
• Thomas Mountain RoadCat 1 · dirt · 7.3 mi at 5.9% · 2,267 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Apple Canyon RoadCat 2 · 3.6 mi at 5.8% · 1,086 ft · starts 12 mi away