Ortega Highway · SR 74
The SR 74 crossing of the Santa Ana Mountains, from San Juan Capistrano over the range toward Lake Elsinore.
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Sept 9 report lists overnight one-way control in a Riverside-side segment through Sept 12, 2026. Refresh before publication. Check current access ↗ · Reviewed
Road shape
- Length
- 27 mi
- Bends
- 71
- Switchbacks
- 5
- Bends per mile
- 2.6
- Turning per mile
- 262°
- Curviest rank
- 73of 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
- Total climb
- 3,958ft
- Climb per mile
- 147ft
- Highest point
- 2,664ft
- Steepest grade
- 5.9%
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
No posted limit has been verified for this selected section. Follow current signs.
No posted limit has been verified for this selected section. Follow current signs.
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:
- Reddit, r/orangecounty · Best Saturday drives ↗
- Reddit, r/orangecounty · Driving-road discussion ↗
- Caltrans · SR 74 highway conditions ↗
- OpenStreetMap road data ↗ (102 ways in this trace)
Reviewed 2026-09-09. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.