2.1
FIETS
1.3 mi
DISTANCE
695 ft
GAINED
10.1 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): John Summerson, The Complete Guide to Climbing (by Bike) 2nd Ed.
INTRO
“Almost mythical in some cycling circles, Fiddlers Elbow Road in western New Jersey is short and very steep towards its end, a perfect combination. Through thick woods for much of its length, after a shallow start the grade soon kicks up. What follows is an extremely steep half mile that includes a stretch of 20+% grade just before the summit. The slope then eases just before the unmarked top. The entire climb (Ridge Road plus Fiddlers Elbow) is 1.4 miles at 9.9% average grade. This is one of the steepest maximum grade climbs outside of the super short hills in Pittsburgh, PA and San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA.” (This quote is provided with the approval of John Summerson, from his book The Complete Guide to Climbing (by Bike), 2nd Edition; page 93.)
The average grade is 10.5% with 720' gained in a mere 1.3 miles with 0 descent. 34% of the climb is at 5-10% grade, 29% at 10-15%, 19% at 15-20%, and 4% is at a punishing ≥ 20%. This one saves the best for last - the steepest quarter-mile (at the finish) is 15.9% and the steepest half-mile is 14.2%.
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Roadway: Fair to good two lane roadway with center stripe.
Traffic: Minimal.
Parking: We parked at Rock Creek Tavern 6/10ths of a mile from climb start (we suggest asking permission) - Map; Street View.
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DrJoeB
The first section, Ridge Road, is fairly easy. After 1/2 mile you turn on Fiddlers Elbow, which has fresh pavement (July 2021). There are two steeper ramps with recovery zones in between. The third and final ramp is a doozy. The road is mostly shaded and on a Saturday morning I saw just a few cars, all coming downhill. You will be tempted to paperboy the final ramp, but don’t cross the centerline.
