Whitcomb Hill Road

CT, USA

The #1 Climb in Connecticut.

Page Contributor(s): John Summerson, The Complete Guide to Climbing (by Bike) 2nd Ed.

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Climb Summary

Cycling Whitcomb Hill Road, Connecticut - road sign for Whitcomb Hill Road

Cycling Whitcomb Hill Road, Connecticut

Photo: New England Public Media

“A climb more brutal that its statistics suggest, Whitcomb Hill Road may be the most difficult in the state of Connecticut as it contains severe grade in places. From the start at its junction with Route 7, be ready early as the slope is double digit to begin and just gets steeper. Soon you hit the maximum on the hill as you ride the narrow and deeply wooded track. Little traffic at least allows you to concentrate on the task at hand. After this shock to the system, pedaling eases but remains challenging before easing further to almost flat. Soon a guard rail appears on the right indicating the halfway point in the ascent.

The road curves to the left as you continue to gain altitude. A few houses then begin to appear and the grade slowly increases again. Keep turning the pedals as the slope soon ramps back up to double digit for the finishing stretch. Finally the woods part as you approach a red barn on the right and a white house on the left in somewhat open ground. Just beyond, the road goes flat where the listed hill ends. Is Whitcomb Hill Road the most difficult paved hill climb in Connecticut? There are many in contention for this honor so you decide. Its grade’ and tight routing make for a challenging descent as well.” (This quote is provided with the approval of John Summerson from his book, The Complete Guide to Climbing (by Bike) in the Northeast, pg. 60.)