Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian)
- mapped
- 32.2 mi
- mapped
- motorcycle crashes, 2021–2025
- 122
- motorcycle crashes, 2021–2025
- serious or fatal
- 19
- serious or fatal
- fatal
- 5
- fatal
Is Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian) open today?
No Caltrans closures listed.
1 more closure listed later this week
- Lane closure (1 of 2 lanes)Cuyamaca Lodge → Route 78 @ Julian · Shoulder Work · North / SouthTue 7:01 AM – Tue 7:01 PM · Caltrans
Checked Sat, Nov 14, 9:50 AM Pacific. These lists don't include every closure: Forest Service gates and fire closures can be missing. All riding roads this week.
Is Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian) safe to ride on a motorcycle?
We don't rate roads as safe or unsafe: crash counts can't say how risky a road is, and popular riding roads have more crashes partly because more people ride them. What the records show: 122 motorcycle crashes were reported along its 32.2 mapped miles from 2021–2025, 19 of them serious or fatal (5 fatal). 69% involved no other vehicle. What to watch for: Deer and cyclists, weekend traffic to Julian, and snow and ice in winter.
This week's weather
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Motorcycle crashes and deaths on Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian)
122 motorcycle crashes were reported within 60 m of the road from 2021–2025: 19 killed or seriously injured someone, and 5 were fatal. 69% involved no other vehicle. Busier roads have more crashes partly because more people ride them, so these counts don't say how risky the road is.
Bends, straights and junctions
Outside city limits, 128 motorcycle crashes were reported on Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian) from 2021–2026, 13 of them within 40 m of a junction. Of the other 115, 90 (78%) were in bends tighter than a 100 m radius, which make up 27% of the road. So crashes gather in the bends, more than their share of the road. 67 of the 93 crashes with no other vehicle were in bends. Of the 66 crashes on a grade of 3% or more where the rider's direction is known, 51 were going downhill, though both directions carry about the same traffic.
A crash alone in a bend usually means running wide or losing grip: set your speed before the bend, look through it, and expect gravel, sand or diesel mid-corner.
Crashes with another vehicle in bends are often an oncoming car across the centre line: keep away from the centre line in blind bends.
Going down, speed builds before the bend: brake earlier on the descent than you would on the way up.
The bends with the most crashes
- 16 crashes in one bend: 7 with no other vehicle, 16 of 16 on the grade going downhill; tightest radius about 44 m.
- 14 crashes in one bend: 12 with no other vehicle, 13 of 13 on the grade going downhill; tightest radius about 73 m.
- 7 crashes in one bend: 7 with no other vehicle; tightest radius about 41 m.
How we tell bends from straights, and every riding road compared
Places along the way
Camping near Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian)
Campgrounds and RV parks within about 5 miles of the road (straight line), nearest first. Seasons, fire restrictions and closures change, so check with whoever runs it before you go.
- Green Valley CampgroundCalifornia State Parks · 3,943 ft · on the road · feeOn the mapWebsite
- Thousand Trails Oakzanita SpringsRV park · 3,880 ft · on the roadOn the map
- Paso Picacho CampgroundCalifornia State Parks · 4,867 ft · on the road · feeOn the mapWebsite
- PinezanitaRV park · 4,551 ft · 0.1 mi from the roadOn the mapWebsite
- KQ RanchRV park · Colorado River Adventures · 4,673 ft · 0.4 mi from the roadOn the mapWebsite
- Banner RanchRV park · 2,763 ft · 1.8 mi from the roadOn the mapWebsite
Campgrounds from Recreation.gov (federal campgrounds, 2026-10-18) and OpenStreetMap (2026-09-28); water, toilets and showers only where they're listed. Elevation from USGS.
Rides that use this road
Common questions about Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian)
- What is Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian) like to ride?
- Rolling road through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park between Descanso and Julian.
- How long is Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian)?
- About 32.2 miles as mapped in OpenStreetMap, for the stretch we cover.
- Is Highway 79 (Descanso to Julian) open today?
- As of Sat, Nov 14, 9:50 AM Pacific, no Caltrans closures are listed on it today. These lists don't include every closure (Forest Service gates and fire closures can be missing), so check Caltrans QuickMap before you go.
Other riding roads nearby
Crashes: motorcycle crashes reported within 60 m of the road, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS). Road: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Weather: National Weather Service. Distances to other roads are between their middles, in a straight line. How the data works.