Santa Cruz Mountains driving roads
11 roads and 122 mapped miles. Pick a road to see its route, character and access notes.
Highway 9 has separate front-side and back-side pages, so you can see which section you are choosing. Empire Grade, Bear Creek and the smaller forest roads offer other ways into these mountains. Compare the mapped sections before combining them into a drive.
Choose a road
- Bear Creek RoadA winding mountain connector above Boulder Creek, with close corners and residential entrances.
- Big Basin Highway · Hwy 236A narrow forest loop through Big Basin country. Check Caltrans and park access updates before planning a through-drive.
- Bonny Doon RoadA coastal climb from Highway 1 toward Bonny Doon, connecting open slopes and wooded sections.
- Empire GradeA ridge road above Santa Cruz, linking forest, open hills and the Bonny Doon area.
- Felton Empire RoadThe short, steep climb out of Felton up to Empire Grade.
- Hecker Pass Highway · Hwy 152The crossing over Mount Madonna between Gilroy and Watsonville, short and consistently curved.
- Highway 9 · Back SideThe back side of Highway 9: from Saratoga Gap down through the redwoods to Boulder Creek and the San Lorenzo Valley toward Santa Cruz, with slower village sections.
- Highway 9 · Front SideThe front side of Highway 9: the climb from Saratoga to Saratoga Gap at Skyline, through tight wooded bends with short sightlines.
- Jamison Creek RoadA steep, compact climb between Big Basin Way and Empire Grade, with a succession of tight turns.
- Old Santa Cruz HighwayA wooded local-road alternative near Highway 17, with bends and driveways along the mountain communities.
- Soquel–San Jose RoadA mountain-to-coast connection from Summit Road toward Soquel, with forest curves and residential stretches.