California Touge.Best driving roads in California

Hecker Pass Highway · Hwy 152

The crossing over Mount Madonna between Gilroy and Watsonville, short and consistently curved.

Medium speedDifficulty 2/3 · WindingSanta Cruz Mountains

Road shape

Length
7.9 mi
Bends
18
Switchbacks
2
Bends per mile
2.3
Turning per mile
235°
Curviest rank
94of 121

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 240 ft8 miHigh 1,335 ft
Total climb
1,163ft
Climb per mile
147ft
Highest point
1,335ft
Steepest grade
6.2%

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

Varies

Unverified

Check posted signs along the road.

No posted limit has been verified for this selected section. Follow current signs.

Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.

Sources

Difficulty 2/3 (Winding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Medium speed” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:

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

Roads nearby

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