Summit Lake 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 Summit Lake Road climb?

12 miles (19.2 km) at 4% on average, climbing 2,533 ft (772 m) from 1,686 ft to 4,219 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 9.6%. That makes it a Category 1 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 41.02349, -121.91262, and tops out on the road at 41.01713, -121.80123.

Is Summit Lake 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.

• Kinner RoadCat 3 · 2.3 mi at 6.7% · 810 ft · starts 0.2 mi away
• Big Bend RoadCat 2 · 4.6 mi at 6% · 1,437 ft · starts 0.2 mi away
• Cove RoadCat 2 · 2.8 mi at 7.1% · 1,050 ft · starts 10 mi away
• Supan RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.2% · 538 ft · starts 11 mi away
• Woodhill DriveCat 3 · 2.1 mi at 5.6% · 617 ft · starts 12 mi away
• Hawkins Creek RoadCat 3 · 1.7 mi at 7.1% · 627 ft · starts 13 mi away
• Dunn Moody RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 6.8% · 856 ft · starts 14 mi away
• Haynes RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.3% · 548 ft · starts 15 mi away