Cycling Los Alamos Road -- front and back.
Front - 3.5 miles gaining 1,285’ at 7% average grade.
Backside - 1.2 miles gaining 674’ at 11.2%.
This is PJAMM Cycling’s home climb. We have ridden this wonderful ride well over 100 times and it never grows old. This is the best climb in and around our hometown of Santa Rosa, California, offering great views, challenge, and the backside of the climb boasts the title of best repeat hill in Sonoma County, (in our opinion). As of 2022, the road is newly paved - be very careful descending as the road is steep and narrow.
While Los Alamos frontside ranks only #18 in Sonoma County, don’t let that low ranking deter or fool you. This is a tough climb, made all the more challenging if you drop down the backside to the trailhead to the western entrance to Hood Mountain Regional Park. The climb begins within the Santa Rosa city limits and is a favorite of local riders/climbers. There are brief vineyard views at the beginning of the route, but the primary scenery is canyon, pasture, and wild oak along a fairly steady climb for 3.5 miles at 7.1% average grade -- a good work out.
Working our way up the hill -- photos are in order clockwise from top left.
Curve at mile 0.7.
The Wall
¼ mile at the half-way point averaging 13.5% (spikes to 16%).
This is just a very pleasant and pastoral, albeit tough, climb.
The old Hillman Ranch - about a quarter mile from the finish.
Los Alamos in the a.m. - July 31, 2021
I used this route for my home course for my Cycling Over Cancer training. jj
The Up-and-Over (front and back side of Los Alamos Map) bags you just about 2,000' of climbing in about nine miles -- a very efficient route. See also Backside Los Alamos
PJAMM nostalgia - The Stashak barn at the foot of the climb. I’ve been coming to Los Alamos for over 50 years. While attending Rincon Valley Junior High (not middle school back then) and Montgomery High School in the early and mid-70’s, we’d golf at the Los Alamos Golf Course that was along the left side of the road between Hwy 12 and Wildwood.
That’s a wrap!