United StatesCalifornia Camp 9
Camp 9 Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

3.8
FIETS
5.9 mi
DISTANCE
1,921 ft
GAINED
6.2 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Monica Busby @thecyclingceo; Brian Griffin, Los Angeles

INTRO

The road up to Camp 9 Fire Station is one of the most popular climbs in the western San Gabriel Mountains, being easily accessible to cyclists in Santa Clarita, Burbank, and San Fernando, and not super difficult.  The pavement is excellent compared to its neighbor Magic Mountain, and Little Tujunga/Sand Canyon Road typically has very light traffic, making for a really pleasant ride.

If you start from the south, you'll also find yourself climbing Little Tujunga Canyon Road and most likely back up across Dillon Divide on your way back. Starting from Sand Canyon to the north adds 1 mile and ~300ft to the climb.

See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via our interactive Profile Tool.
Roadway & Traffic:
Traffic is light and the roadway is good, getting slightly worse once you pass the ranger station at mile 2. Be cautious of cars around blind corners on the descent. 

Parking:
We recommend parking for free at the scenic Bear Divide Vista Picnic Site and doing the Camp 9 climb as well as Magic Mountain.
Water fountain and shade at the fire station at the top, and a water spigot at the ranger station at Bear Divide, otherwise climb is unsupported.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
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San Gabriel Mountains
United States (CA)
38 ROUTES
43 POIs
ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)
677.5
mi
DISTANCE
80,483
ft
ELEV. GAIN

NEARBY CLIMBS (0) RADIAL PROXIMITY

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CLIMB SUMMARY

Camp 9 - an extremely popular climb up to a Los Angeles County fire station.

We started out at around 7am on a Saturday in late June, which ended up being a bit too late - the temp reached 95 in the afternoon. The start of this climb is unimpressive, beginning at the bottom of the valley between Dillon Divide and Bear Divide.

Riding north takes you up this climb, and riding south from this point will take you up to Dillon Divide, the Little Tujunga West Climb.

The climb starts to become more scenic once you reach Bear Divide, the second saddle on Little Tujunga Canyon Road between San Fernando and Santa Clarita. Both saddles are at almost exactly the same elevation  (Dillon Divide 2,754ft;  Bear Divide 2,725ft)

Looking up you can see the cliff where the road is cut into the mountain:

 

This is where you pass a ranger station with a water spicket. The only other water in the area is at the top of the climb, Camp 9 Fire Station.

The road quality is surprisingly good on this climb. It’s maintained for the fire trucks; Camp 9 is the primary Fire Station for the western San Gabriel mountains, an area very prone to forest fires in the summer.

You encounter very little shade along this climb. There is a small grove of trees during the final mile approaching the Fire Station, but otherwise the entire climb is exposed. There’s also plenty of shade at the actual station, great places to sit, rest and refill water bottles:

The Firefighters are incredibly friendly and always willing to help you out if you need water, supplies, etc. When not fighting fires, they take their pickleball tournaments very seriously!

The climb continues after the fire station - the steepest part: 1/3 mile at 10.1%. The gradient peaks at around 14.1%

As usual, the hardest part also yields the best views…

That’s a wrap!