Palomar Mountain South Grade Road (S6)
The switchback climb up the face of Palomar Mountain from Highway 76, the road the whole mountain is known for.
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Planning the drive
South Grade Road is the switchback climb from Highway 76 onto Palomar Mountain. At the upper junction, South Grade (S6), East Grade (S7) and Summit Road come together. That is the point to decide between extending the mountain outing and choosing your descent. Forest Service: Palomar junction at Crestline
The mapped South Grade climb is only one part of a Palomar day trip. East Grade offers a separate way off the mountain toward the Lake Henshaw side. If you want to include the observatory, plan that onward visit separately and check Caltech’s visitor information for access and opening arrangements. Caltech: visiting Palomar Observatory
Roads to connect
- Palomar East Grade · S7The longer eastern descent toward the Lake Henshaw side of Highway 76.
Driving notes updated .
Road shape
- Length
- 5.8 mi
- Bends
- 45
- Switchbacks
- 19
- Bends per mile
- 7.8
- Turning per mile
- 1092°
- Curviest rank
- 12of 168
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
- 2,196ft
- Climb per mile
- 379ft
- Highest point
- 5,117ft
- Steepest grade
- 8%
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 3/3 (Demanding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Technical” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:
- Motorcycle Roads · The Palomar Mountain Loop
- Rennlist · Fun roads in San Diego
- LotusTalk · Best roads in San Diego
- OpenStreetMap road data (1 ways in this trace)
Reviewed 2026-09-09. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.
Roads nearby
Distances are approximate straight lines between road centers, not driving distances or direct connections.