How long is Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz)?

About 40.7 miles as mapped in OpenStreetMap, for the stretch we cover.

Bay Area & Santa Cruz Mountains

Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz)

Tight, shaded mountain road through redwoods.

mapped: 40.7 mi; mapped
motorcycle crashes, 2021–2025: 141; motorcycle crashes, 2021–2025
serious or fatal: 48; serious or fatal
fatal: 4; fatal

Open it on the map Directions Caltrans closures

Is Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz) open today?

Alternating Lanes
Pool Drive → Old County Hwy · Bridge Work · North / South
Apr 28 – Apr 30 · Caltrans
Alternating Lanes
Riverdale Park → Monaco Lane · Bridge Work · North / South
Apr 30 – Apr 30 · Caltrans

8 more closures listed later this week

Lane closure (1 of 2 lanes)
Route 35 (SARATOGA GAP) → Private (Greens) Driveway · Tree Work · North / South
Mon 8:01 AM – Mon 4:01 PM · Caltrans
One-way traffic control
Ambric Knolls Rd → Springer Av/Hakone Gardens · Tree Work · North / South
Mon 9:01 AM – Mon 2:01 PM; Tue 9:01 AM – Tue 2:01 PM · Caltrans
One-way traffic control
Fall Creek Bridge → Willow Brook/Locust Dr · Tree Work · North / South
Mon 9:01 PM – Tue 5:01 AM; Tue 9:01 PM – Wed 5:01 AM; Wed 9:01 PM – Thu 5:01 AM · Caltrans
5 more listings
- One-way traffic control
  Park Dr/Shadowbrook Ln → Woodland Drive · Tree Work · North / South
  Mon 9:01 PM – Tue 5:01 AM · Caltrans
- Lane closure (1 of 2 lanes)
  Private (Greens) Driveway → Redwood Gulch Rd · Tree Work · North / South
  Tue 8:01 AM – Tue 4:01 PM · Caltrans
- Lane closure (1 of 2 lanes)
  Redwood Gulch Rd → Mcelroy Crk · Tree Work · North / South
  Wed 8:01 AM – Wed 4:01 PM · Caltrans
- Lane closure (1 of 2 lanes)
  Mcelroy Crk → Pierce Rd · Tree Work · North / South
  Thu 8:01 AM – Thu 4:01 PM · Caltrans
- Lane closure (1 of 2 lanes)
  Pierce Rd → Toll Gate Dr · Tree Work · North / South
  Fri 8:01 AM – Fri 4:01 PM · Caltrans

Checked Sat, Nov 14, 3:41 PM Pacific. These lists don't include every closure: Forest Service gates and fire closures can be missing. All riding roads this week.

Is Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz) 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: 141 motorcycle crashes were reported along its 40.7 mapped miles from 2021–2025, 48 of them serious or fatal (4 fatal). 50% involved no other vehicle. What to watch for: Damp and slippery under tree cover, slow cyclists on the climb, and blind corners.

This week's weather

Weather

Loading forecast…

Motorcycle crashes and deaths on Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz)

141 motorcycle crashes were reported within 60 m of the road from 2021–2025: 48 killed or seriously injured someone, and 4 were fatal. 50% 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, 140 motorcycle crashes were reported on Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz) from 2021–2026, 38 of them within 40 m of a junction. Of the other 102, 85 (83%) were in bends tighter than a 100 m radius, which make up 51% of the road. So crashes gather in the bends, more than their share of the road. 58 of the 75 crashes with no other vehicle were in bends.

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.

The bends with the most crashes

8 crashes in one bend: 2 with no other vehicle; tightest radius about 21 m.
7 crashes in one bend: 4 with no other vehicle, 0 of 1 on the grade going downhill; tightest radius about 40 m.
6 crashes in one bend: 6 with no other vehicle; tightest radius about 58 m.

How we tell bends from straights, and every riding road compared

Camping near Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz)

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.

Santa Cruz Redwoods RV ResortRV park · 277 ft · 0.1 mi from the roadOn the map Website
Smithwoods RV ParkRV park · 270 ft · 0.1 mi from the roadOn the map
Waterman Gap Trail Camp1,304 ft · 0.1 mi from the roadOn the map
Costanoa CampsiteGroup campground · 2,173 ft · 0.1 mi from the roadOn the map
Cotillion Garden RV ParkRV park · 258 ft · 0.1 mi from the roadOn the map
TeepeeGroup campground · 2,113 ft · 0.2 mi from the roadOn the map

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

Highway 9, Skyline Boulevard and Highway 84

Common questions about Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz)

What is Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz) like to ride?: Tight, shaded mountain road through redwoods.
How long is Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz)?: About 40.7 miles as mapped in OpenStreetMap, for the stretch we cover.
Is Highway 9 (Saratoga to Santa Cruz) open today?: As of Sat, Nov 14, 3:41 PM Pacific, Caltrans lists 2 closures 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

Skyline Boulevard (SR-35)17 mi Highway 84, Woodside to La Honda22 mi Mount Hamilton Road25 mi Mines Road38 mi Carmel Valley Road54 mi Highway 1, Big Sur78 mi

All riding roads

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.