Schulties 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 Schulties Road climb?

3.2 miles (5.2 km) at 3.8% on average, climbing 650 ft (198 m) from 906 ft to 1,555 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 5.1%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 37.11697, -121.96678, where Schulties Road leaves Laurel Road, and tops out at Old Santa Cruz Highway at 37.13614, -121.97184.

Is Schulties Road paved?

Mostly: OpenStreetMap tags 53% of the climb as paved, and the rest as dirt or gravel.

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.

• Redwood Lodge RoadCat 3 · 1.8 mi at 6% · 574 ft · starts 0.3 mi away
• Wrights Station RoadCat 3 · 1.4 mi at 7.4% · 554 ft · starts 1.8 mi away
• Loma Prieta AvenueCat 3 · 2.5 mi at 6.6% · 856 ft · starts 2.0 mi away
• Hutchinson RoadCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 6.8% · 584 ft · starts 2.1 mi away
• Glenwood DriveCat 3 · 3.9 mi at 3.7% · 755 ft · starts 2.2 mi away
• Mountain Charlie RoadCat 2 · 4.3 mi at 5% · 1,145 ft · starts 2.4 mi away
• Old Ranch RoadCat 3 · 0.7 mi at 13.9% · 541 ft · starts 2.7 mi away
• Old Logging RoadCat 3 · 1.9 mi at 8.8% · 856 ft · starts 2.7 mi away