Telephone 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 Telephone Road climb?

1.9 miles (3.0 km) at 12.1% on average, climbing 1,188 ft (362 m) from 3,720 ft to 4,908 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 17%. That makes it a Category 2 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 34.53081, -118.21581, where Telephone Road leaves Shannon View Road, and tops out at Sierra Pelona West Mountainway at 34.54292, -118.20793.

Is Telephone 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.

• Red Rover Mine RoadCat 3 · 2.5 mi at 5.1% · 666 ft · starts 2.7 mi away
• HauserCat 3 · 1.2 mi at 9.9% · 653 ft · starts 3.1 mi away
• Willow Spring Gulch RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 6.9% · 869 ft · starts 3.6 mi away
• Desert RoadCat 3 · 1.8 mi at 7.1% · 669 ft · starts 4.0 mi away
• Hubbard Road from Escondido Canyon RoadCat 3 · 2.4 mi at 4.3% · 545 ft · starts 4.0 mi away
• Aliso Canyon RoadCat 2 · 7.3 mi at 3.6% · 1,362 ft · starts 4.6 mi away
• Tierra Subida AvenueCat 3 · 2.9 mi at 6.4% · 994 ft · starts 5.1 mi away
• Crown Valley RoadCat 2 · 6.8 mi at 3.3% · 1,171 ft · starts 6.1 mi away