Sugarloaf 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 Sugarloaf Road climb?

4.0 miles (6.5 km) at 3% on average, climbing 627 ft (191 m) from 6,293 ft to 6,919 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 6.9%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 35.90904, -118.5488, and tops out at Greenhorn Road at 35.93333, -118.56249.

Is Sugarloaf 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.

• Sugarloaf Road from Parker Pass DriveCat 2 · 5.6 mi at 5% · 1,490 ft · starts 3.9 mi away
• Parker Pass DriveCat 2 · 6.6 mi at 4.5% · 1,549 ft · starts 5.1 mi away
• Sugarloaf RoadCat 3 · 4.4 mi at 4% · 925 ft · starts 5.3 mi away
• Sherman Pass Road from Mountain Highway 99HC · 15 mi at 6.5% · 5,335 ft · starts 5.4 mi away
• Parker Pass RoadHC · 9.6 mi at 6% · 3,015 ft · starts 5.8 mi away
• Sugarloaf Road from Sugarpine TrailCat 2 · 4.8 mi at 7.1% · 1,785 ft · starts 6.3 mi away
• Lloyd Meadow RoadCat 3 · 4.1 mi at 4.3% · 928 ft · starts 7.2 mi away
• Cherry Hill RoadCat 1 · 6.7 mi at 6.2% · 2,178 ft · starts 8.4 mi away