California Touge.Best driving roads in California

Bear Creek Road

A winding mountain connector above Boulder Creek, with close corners and residential entrances.

TechnicalDifficulty 3/3 · DemandingSanta Cruz Mountains

Road shape

Length
12.9 mi
Bends
93
Switchbacks
14
Bends per mile
7.2
Turning per mile
782°
Curviest rank
25of 85

Measured from the OpenStreetMap centreline at a 20 m sampling step — road shape only, not a safety or speed judgement. How bends are counted.

Elevation

Low 496 ft12.9 miHigh 2,200 ft
Total climb
3,420ft
Climb per mile
265ft
Highest point
2,208ft
Steepest grade
10.5%

Sampled every 100 m from USGS 10 m elevation data, a public-domain federal dataset. Total climb counts vertical change in both directions, so it does not depend on which way you drive. How elevation is measured.

Speed limits

30–35 mph

Published limits

30–35 mph in the documented sections; limits vary elsewhere.

County code: 30 mph from Hwy 9 to Keller Drive; 35 mph from Pilger Road to Hwy 35. Other sections not verified.

Speed-limit source ↗

Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.

Sources

Difficulty 3/3 (Demanding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Technical” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:

Reviewed 2026-09-08. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.

Roads nearby

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