Upper 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 Upper Road climb?

0.9 miles (1.4 km) at 16.7% on average, climbing 768 ft (234 m) from 1,696 ft to 2,464 ft. The steepest half kilometre averages 26.8%. That makes it a Category 3 climb.

Where does the climb start and finish?

It starts at 39.58094, -123.53149, and tops out on the road at 39.57938, -123.52185.

Is Upper 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.

• Ridge Ranch RoadCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 8.6% · 666 ft · starts 1.4 mi away
• Cherry Creek Road from Irvine Lodge RoadCat 3 · 1.5 mi at 8.3% · 676 ft · starts 4.3 mi away
• Four Mile RoadCat 2 · 2.8 mi at 10.7% · 1,558 ft · starts 6.3 mi away
• Mendo DriveCat 2 · 1.8 mi at 11.6% · 1,129 ft · starts 7.2 mi away
• Dos Rios RoadCat 3 · 2.1 mi at 7.9% · 879 ft · starts 7.8 mi away
• Mill Creek Road from Valley DriveCat 3 · 1.6 mi at 8% · 692 ft · starts 8.1 mi away
• Hayworth Creek RoadCat 3 · 6.1 mi at 3.2% · 1,027 ft · starts 8.5 mi away
• Shimmins Ridge RoadCat 2 · 1.9 mi at 12% · 1,175 ft · starts 8.7 mi away